It was roughly a year ago that the hockey world was stunned by the amazing performance from Team Canada and St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, who helped lead them to a 4 Nations Face-Off victory over Team USA in overtime. However, the narrative seemed to flip at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, as Binnington found himself with a silver medal around his neck after Canada lost to the USA 2-1 in overtime. It’s something that could have a major effect on Binnington’s performance, career, and future with the Blues.
Insult to Injury in a Disappointing Season Performance
Aside from the fact that Binnington will return to an American-based NHL team, he was as good for them leading up to the Olympics. As of right now, Binnington has a record of 8-17-6 through 30 starts, followed by an .864 save percentage (SV%), a 3.65 goals against average (GAA), and one shutout. It’s not a good look for a guy who was relied upon to take on more starts for Canada at the Olympics.
Despite having a top-five performance at the Olympics, with a .917 SV%, 1.78 GAA, and one shutout, the sheer thought of losing the gold medal game to Team USA may have an even more significant effect on his performance with the Blues, as opposed to what we saw last season after the 4 Nations tournament.
Related: Blues’ Olympic Standouts of the Week: Binnington, Dvorsky, and St. Louis’s Hockey Influence
In that tournament, he capped it off with a 4 Nations Final performance to remember. It included a .939 SV% and a 1.76 GAA with a lot of notable great saves made by him to help Canada hold on and win it. Soon after he returned, he found himself completing the 2024-25 season with a .900 SV%, a 2.69 GAA, and three shutouts, supporting the Blues to clinch a playoff spot, something they hadn’t done since the 2021-22 season.
Now, with a Blues team that is struggling severely to repeat last season’s playoff dreams, having Binnington after losing a must-win game for a big event like the Olympics will not help the Blues reach a playoff spot.
Near the End and Short of Accolades
Let’s not forget Binnington is also only 32 (will be 33 in July), meaning the chances he returns to Team Canada’s roster for the 2030 Winter Olympics are very slim at this point. A gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics would’ve put him up in discussion as one of the best, if not the best, goaltenders in Blues history and would add to his Stanley Cup championship and gold at the 4 Nations Face-off.
For Binnington not to have a resume full of “number one” accolades after Milano-Cortina seems very strange to accept. That said, he’s also about to reach the last year of his six-year, $36 million contract with the Blues next season.
With the Blues’ poor performance this season and no real upside, there is a slim chance he gets one more shot at a Stanley Cup Final.
More of a Reason to Trade Binnington
The result of the gold medal game at the Olympics won’t be the reason to trade Binnington, but more or less his overall performance at the games. Yes, his NHL performance this season hasn’t been the greatest, but the Olympics showed that he can still be of use to teams in a winning position who need a goaltender with experience in “big-time” situations.
Take the Edmonton Oilers, for example; though they acquired goaltender Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins in December, it still won’t stop them from being potential buyers ahead of the trade deadline for Binnington.
Keeping Binnington’s contract situation in mind and backup Joel Hofer making a big improvement to his game, the Blues should definitely be looking to trade Binnington rather than keep him.
Overall, the focus now for Binnington should be on the Blues, whether they stay a losing team this season or wake up and become winners. This can’t ruin his reputation of being a level-headed goaltender who doesn’t crack under pressure. We will see on Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken whether Binnington returns to NHL play with a relaxed performance or continues what he was before the Olympics.
