The St. Louis Blues “are expected to try and move” veteran netminder Jordan Binnington this summer, per David Pagnotta and The Fourth Period. Binnington, 32, has been rumored as a trade candidate dating back to last season, but it was unclear at the time whether the Blues were actively motivated to trade him, or were rather simply entertaining trade possibilities.
Now, it appears St. Louis is hoping to more firmly pass along their No. 1 goalie role to Joel Hofer. Binnington, who backstopped the Blues to the Stanley Cup in 2019, has just one year remaining on his $6MM AAV contract. He played just 41 games last season, his lowest total since 2021-22, and was thoroughly outplayed by Hofer. Hofer posted a .910 save percentage in 46 games, compared to an .873 for Binnington. But Binnington still holds a reputation as one of the game’s premier big-game goalies, which is part of the reason he has retained the starting role for Team Canada at top international tournaments despite his regular season struggles. It’s that reputation that will likely make Binnington a player of interest for teams in need of goaltending this summer.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- According to The Fourth Period, veteran winger Jake DeBrusk ” has made it clear” to the Canucks that he does not want to play through a rebuild, and as a result, the Canucks “are trying to find him a new home” on the trade market. DeBrusk has a full no-move clause on his deal but is reportedly flexible in terms of the type of destinations he’d be willing to accept a trade to. The 29-year-old is under contract at a $5.5MM cap hit through 2030-31 and scored 23 goals and 42 points this past season. He has scored at least 20 goals in four of the last five seasons.
- Chris Johnston of The Athletic reported that Boston Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei was floated in trade talks dating back to the deadline earlier this year, and his name is likely to resurface in the coming weeks as the Bruins seek to make upgrades to their roster. Lohrei, 25, is under contract through next season at a $3.2MM cap hit, after which he will be an arbitration-eligible RFA and one year away from hitting unrestricted free agency. Lohrei has scored 59 points in 150 games over the last two years and is slowly improving, but has not developed to the point where he would be an undeniable part of the Bruins’ future. As a result, it appears he could end up moved this summer, potentially as part of a bigger swap.
