Binnington extended

[flyingnote38]

6 year $36 m

[JCShutout]

I was hoping for a year or two less at a mill or so less, but I've thought that about, I think, literally every deal the Blues signed over $2m/per, so that means its probably about right.

[gaijin]

Glad they extended him, but 6 mil a year better bring another Cup.

[theohall]

With the new TV deal coming up, that 6m/year is going to look like a bargain for a Stanley Cup winning goalie. NHL Radio was discussing how players due contracts might be better off signing bridge deals for one season to give time for the cap to increase due to Expansion + the new TV deal. The combination is going to add ~10M to the cap (that's a low estimate), but that won't hit until 2022-23 at the earliest.

[glen a richter]

I'm watching the repeat of Binner's presser up on youtube right now, dude is saying all the right things. For crissake no one could blame him if he asked for a zillion dollars. Whatever happens the rest of his career he's the goalie who finally delivered and he cemented instant legend status but at the same time he's talking about taking less to keep a winning team together, it's not about the money... he hit on everything you want to hear from a pro athlete.

[theohall]

Mike Rupp on NHL Radio brought up some good points this afternoon.

1) If the Blues didn't pay him, someone else would next season - Edmonton, Seattle, any team wanting a Stanley Cup winning goalie
2) The Blues didn't pay him Carey Price/Sergei Bobrovsky/Vasilevskiy money. His contract is in line with several of the other "really good" goalies - like Markstrom, Rask, Fleury, Hellebuyck, Gibson and Quick. Fair deal for a Cup winner.
3) This was the biggest point, IMO. Binnington dealt with adversity to get his shot and excelled. Odds are he will excel again given he's already handled being an ECHL goalie in 2013, to refusing to go back to the ECHL in 17-18 and doing very well in Providence, to being an AHL backup to Husso in 18-19 to becoming a Cup Winner in 18-19.

Consider in the 2011 draft, there were 5 goalies picked ahead of Binnington. The only one still in the NHL is John Gibson.

Goalies that can handle adversity are the kind you want to keep around is the point Rupp made, even if his numbers this season and last aren't as stellar as that Cup run. No other goalie ever has won 16 playoff games in a single playoff season. He's proven he can perform when it matters the most.

The last point - this gives the Blues time to develop their future goalies, between Husso, Hofer, Fitzpatrick, and Ellis. It's good to see Husso not giving up 4 per game in his last couple starts... but clear unopposed shots from darn near the blueline should be stopped.

[cprice12]

What's not to like, right?
Certainly a fair deal for him. We didn't overpay, which is a no-brainer good thing.
The 6 years may seem like a long time, but he'll only be 34 when it's up...and he's certainly movable going into the last year of the contract (should they really want to move on at that point) because his actual salary dips to $4.5m in yr 6.
When's the last time we found a franchise goalie and were able to ink him? Solid, cup-wining goalies aren't exactly available every offseason. So, if possible, you hold on to one if you have one.
And some are saying, scoffingly, that we're "paying" for the Stanley Cup win now. Uhhh... yeah, we are. And I'm happy to see them do it.
We were crying for a cup for sooooooooooooooo long after so many heartbreaking seasons where we had high hopes and fantastic teams, but never even came close. He was a HUGE reason why the Blues finally brought the cup to STL.
Barring a substantial dip in performance, he'll be the franchise's all-time winning goalie by the end of this contract...and he almost single handedly rescued this team in 2019 from the basement enroute to a cup win.
Unreal.
If all goes well, he'll have his number retired... and a goalie statue outside of Enterprise would be bad ass. Sure, a lot has to go right for that to happen, but it's there for him for the taking.

[gaijin]

If all goes well, he'll have his number retired... and a goalie statue outside of Enterprise would be bad ass. Sure, a lot has to go right for that to happen, but it's there for him for the taking.

The words "Do I look nervous?" will be inscribed at the base of the statue.

[theohall]

None of this even mentioned since Binnington became the starter back in Jan 2019, he is still top 10 in the 3 major categories (Wins, GAA, SV%) compared to the rest of the league from that date.

[WaukeeBlues]

I love it. $6 million a year AAV are you kidding me? Especially in a league where guys like Bob and Carey Price are making $10+? Tuuka Rask at $7 AAV for a deal he signed in 2013?! Sign me up. Plenty of social media hockey fans lambasting it as too much for too long, primarily pointing at Binnington's struggles last year. Another good point that came up on NHL radio the other day was the famous sophomore slump. It applies to goalies too. Look at Carey Price and Tuuka Rask. Down 2nd years. It happens.

I'm not concerned even a little bit. You can't overpay for goaltending. It's a fair deal for both sides, I'm thrilled Binnington took it, one less piece to re-sign for next year.

[glen a richter]

To Theo's last point, this is 100% true.

This organization has an awful history on developing goalies but with Binner they hit it. He paid his dues for a very long time and rewarded the team when the time came. Sure, you can draft a guy at 18 and expect him to make an impact quickly, but that doesn't generally work with goalies. Look at all the misses over time--your Marek Schwarz's or your Becky-Tseu's.

Sure enough the one guy who they waited an extended amount of time on was the one who ended up being The One. There's some good ones in the organization right now, Joel Hofer and Colten Ellis are the two I'm watching most closely and I think they have bright futures but certainly not tomorrow. Let's develop these guys right like they did with Binner.

[theohall]

Fitzpatrick is another "slow" developer. His best year in juniors was his last. So who knows what he could be. Unfortunately, he's not going to play much this season given the two goalies in Utica in front of him and the "shared" parent situation. I would almost rather the Blues hadn't signed Gillies, since he was the one getting ice time while Kielly, the Vancouver prospect, is getting the rest of the ice time.