JoelHofer

News: 17 hours agoHofer halted 17 of 18 shots on net in Monday's 2-1 preseason loss to the Stars.

Spin: Hofer anchored the Blues for the first 40 minutes of the contest before Georgii Romanov allowed the go-ahead goal in the third period. The 26-year-old Hofer is coming off a season where he claimed the role of top netminder in St. Louis by posting a 24-13-5 record, a 2.61 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 46 regular-season outings. If Hofer continues to look sharp in the early stages of the 2026-27 campaign, he could be in line for his first year north of 50 regular-season appearances.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: It took the better part of three seasons, but Hofer appears to have finally dispatched Jordan Binnington as the starter for St. Louis. The 26-year-old was terrific in 46 games a year ago, going 24-13-5 with a 2.61 GAA and .909 save percentage. Hofer's six shutouts were second-most in the NHL. If the Blues award playing time based upon merit alone, Hofer should play at least 55 games this coming season. That said, the guess here is that Binnington still sees enough work to prevent Hofer from joining the ranks of low-end No. 1 fantasy netminders in 2026-27.