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For all the transition the Blues are undergoing in different parts of their organization, they know who their goaltenders will be.

As the club transitions back into a hopeful contender, as they prepare for Alexander Steen to take over as general manager and as they open their third straight training camp under a different coach, the Blues know Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer will be in between the pipes. This season will be the third straight year of a Binnington-Hofer tandem, with two more potentially on the horizon as both goalies are under contract through 2026-27.

The tandem has become one of the most stable in the league thanks to both their performance and their durability. In fact, the Blues’ past 170 games have been started by either Binnington or Hofer.

Now, the question isn’t so much about who the Blues will use in net but rather: How much will they play each goaltender?

In 2023-24, Binnington started 55 games, and Hofer took the remaining 27. In 2024-25, it was about the same, with Binnington at 54 starts and Hofer at 28. At times last season, the Blues developed a rhythm by starting Binnington twice, then Hofer once, Binnington twice, Hofer once and so on. But there was no question who would receive the crease for a big game.

That was Binnington’s job.

Binnington started opening day in Seattle. He started the Winter Classic in Chicago. When the Blues needed to clinch a playoff spot in the last game of the regular season, it was No. 50. And Binnington started all seven games of the first-round playoff series against the Jets.

Binnington should retain that title, especially given his historical performances in big games, including the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game for Canada in the spring. But how far can Hofer push to make the Blues consider more of a platoon situation?

Last season, Hofer took a step back from his stellar rookie season in 2023-24. His save percentage dropped from .913 to .904. According to MoneyPuck, his goals saved above expected went from plus-10.3 to minus-4.3. He still won games (16-8-3 record), and his goals against improved (2.65 to 2.64), which still made him reliable to start plenty of games and allow Binnington to rest.

In the summer, the 25-year-old Hofer signed a two-year contract worth $3.4 million annually, allowing his contract to expire at the same time as the 32-year-old Binnington’s deal with two years remaining at a $6 million cap hit. The deal made Hofer one of the most expensive backups in the NHL, behind goalies like Joonas Korpisalo ($4 million) and Joseph Woll ($3.67 million).

Results for recent Stanley Cup winners suggest the Blues are already in the right place for a goaltender split. Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky started 54 games last season and 58 the year prior as Florida won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Vegas rotated through a host of goalies in 2022-23, and Colorado’s Darcy Kuemper started 57 games when the Avalanche won the Cup in 2022.

Of course, the most recent example of a Blues split in net was in 2021-22 with Binnington and Ville Husso, now with the Anaheim Ducks.