Joel Hofer
Hofer looks like the Blues' primary starter this season, with Jordan Binnington as the backup, but I found no current analyst piece that settles how the starts will split over 84 games.
Role
Goalie 1 in the Blues' practice-line listings, with Binnington as the other goalie (Lou Korac practice lines via the NHL Game Day Lines feed, 10/28). ESPN's player page (checked 2 November) shows him with 9 starts in 9 games this season, going 4-3-1 with a 2.24 GAA and .923 save percentage. It says he is slated to start Thursday 10/29 against Boston, his fourth start in the Blues' last five games, after sitting out the Tuesday game against Montreal. The 10/23 practice note says Hofer got that day off. Daily Faceoff's Blues line page was fetched with a 31 October update stamp, but the goalie section did not come through in the fetch, so I cannot say what it lists. Power play and skater lines are not relevant to him.
He has started nearly every game this season and is carrying the larger share. ESPN's page shows a .923 save percentage and 2.24 GAA through 9 games. A Sports Illustrated Blues site piece from January 2026 argued he had taken the job from Binnington. He also signed a two-year, $6.8 million extension in June 2025, which shows the club's commitment.
The sample is only 9 games, and the results swing. The ESPN game log shows a 4-0 loss to Carolina on 10/24 (35 saves on 39 shots) between two solid starts. Binnington is still on the roster and still in the practice rotation, so Hofer's share could drop if he slumps. One recent ESPN note shows he sat a game, and he got a practice day off on 10/23.
Where analysts split
Broad agreement on the current pecking order: the sources I found treat Hofer as the lead goalie. I found no current analyst dispute, and the open question is only whether his share of starts holds if his results slip and Binnington gets more starts. That is my own framing and not a debate I read.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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