Jordan Binnington Sparks Edmonton Oilers Goalie Targets Debate
Jordan Binnington has entered the edmonton oilers goalie targets conversation this summer, with analysts and fans linking the St. Louis Blues goaltender to South Florida. The talk comes as Florida faces an unsettled crease after Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov are expected to hit free agency.
Binnington And South Florida
Florida finished last season 40-38-4 with 84 points, then moved Spencer Knight to the Chicago Blackhawks in a deal that brought back defenseman Seth Jones and a first-round pick in this year’s draft. That pick is top ten protected, and it left the Panthers with a clearer need to sort out the position before next season begins.
Binnington is part of that discussion because he has the résumé of a starter who has already handled playoff pressure. He helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019 and posted a.927 save percentage, 24 wins, five shutouts and a 1.89 goals-against average through 32 regular-season games that year.
Blues Playoff History
He followed that with 16 wins, a 2.46 goals-against average and a.914 save percentage through 26 postseason games in 2019. The next regular season ended at 2.56 goals-against average and a.912 save percentage, and the shortened 2021 season brought a 2.65 goals-against average and a.910 save percentage through 41 starts.
The numbers are not all headed in one direction. Last season, Binnington won 13 games and finished with a career-worst 3.33 goals-against average and.873 save percentage through 41 games, which is part of why his name has become a debate point rather than a clean solution.
Why The Fit Gets Debated
The concern around his fit is not just form. Binnington was suspended for two games during the 2022-23 season after nearly starting a brawl with the Minnesota Wild following his move toward Ryan Hartman, then went after Corey Perry last season after he was skated into during a scoring chance.
This season, he also got into a heated exchange with head coach Jim Montgomery after being pulled in the first period against the Anaheim Ducks. That history explains why the same name can be treated as a possible fix and a risk at the same time, especially for a team trying to stabilize the crease after an 84-point season.
If Florida keeps exploring options, Binnington’s track record gives the Panthers a clear reason to study the upside and the volatility in the same file. The goaltending market in South Florida is open enough that his name is not fading anytime soon.
