Among the plethora of storylines to come out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the last couple of months or so has been the heroics of Jordan Binnington, a fascinating tale the Vegas Golden Knights should take note of.
Binnington has been lights out between the pipes in the postseason and he’ll be a strong contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy should the St. Louis Blues go on to beat the Boston Bruins and lift the Stanley Cup. So, where do the Vegas Golden Knights fit into all of this?
It is simple really. Binnington is the perfect proof in the pudding that you need to have a hot goaltender in order to be a legitimate contender, and he’s also testament to the fact that you need to have talent between the pipes in your farm system.
Of course, Binnington’s story is a slightly unusual one given that he was mired in obscurity with the Providence Bruins in the AHL last season due to the fact that the Blues didn’t have an AHL affiliate of their own.
He, like he has done in the majors this year, grabbed his opportunity with both hands, securing 17 wins in 20 games with a .926 save percentage and a 2.05 goals against average which was enough to earn the rookie a spot at the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic.
But the principle remains the same. The Blues had an unpolished gem buried deep on their depth chart, but he’s come up big and delivered for his team when they needed him the most.
Vegas are in win now mode and they will remain a genuine championship contender as long as they have Marc-Andre Fleury being peak Marc-Andre Fleury, which he has been so far during his two-year tenure in Sin City.
However, at 34-years-old, Fleury will likely start to see a natural decline in his game sooner rather than later and it is realistic to expect a drop off in both his production and in the amount of games he starts.
So, the question is, do the Golden Knights have a long-term heir to the throne ready to take the crown once Fleury calls it a day?
Malcolm Subban has shown flashes of his potential in small samples of work for Vegas, although, at 25-years-old, he’s unlikely to be anything more than a solid starter in the NHL.
Plus, entering this summer as a restricted free agent, it appears likely that Subban will walk at the end of the 2019-20 season as an unrestricted free agent in order to nail down a starting job elsewhere.
Then you are left with Max Lagace, Dylan Ferguson and Oscar Dansk, who have all had a brief taste of the NHL with the Knights. Whether any of the three are good enough to take the baton from Fleury remains to be seen.
Other than that, the cupboard seems pretty bare when it comes to netminders and that should be a major concern for the front office.
It is a problem that can be fixed, however, due to the fact that Vegas will enter the 2019 NHL Entry Draft armed with a vast array of picks, including the 17th overall selection. They could opt to use that or one of their second or third round picks on selecting a goaltender of the future (we’ll take a deeper dive on potential draft selections in the next couple of weeks).
The main point we’re trying to make here is you need quality goaltending if you are to have any shot at being half decent in the NHL, let alone being a contender for the Stanley Cup.
Binnington’s stunning emergence should give Vegas some food for thought when it comes to planning for life beyond Fleury, and it would be wise to get a long-term successor in place sooner rather than later so that he can learn from and develop under a master of their craft who happens to have three Stanley Cups on his resume.
After all, Binnington has been with St. Louis since 2011 now, he’s paid his dues, learned his craft and now he’s reaping the benefits. The Blues were in dire straits and, in desperate need of a spark, they were able to turn to their secret weapon who was already in the building locked loaded and raring to go.
Vegas need to be in the same situation when Fleury either hangs up his skates or starts to regress as an elite goaltender, so that this franchise can keep their Stanley Cup window open for as long as possible.
Going back to Binnington’s stunning heroics this year, the 25-year-old’s rise is truly remarkable when you take into account the eye test, the numbers and where he’s come from.
Starting the year in the minors with the San Antonio Rampage, Binnington got called up to the big leagues in December, 2018 and was awarded his first start in the NHL on Jan, 7, just days after the Blues took over the record of the worst team in the NHL.
However, Binnington’s call-up coincided with a dramatic upturn in fortunes for St. Louis who will now be competing for their first-ever Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The No. 87 pick overall in the 2011 NHL Draft, Binnington was highly impressive during the regular season, posting a 1.89 goals against average and a .927 save percentage with five shutouts.
He’s been even better in the postseason having gone on an absolute tear for his team with a .914 save percentage, a 2.37 goals against average and one shutout.
It has been a vintage year for Binnington who has already made history having become the first rookie goalie since Ron Hextall in 1987 to earn each of his team’s first 12 wins during a playoff run. He’ll become the first rookie netminder in NHL history to record 16 wins in the postseason should the Blues get the better of Boston in the Finals.
Whatever happens over the next few weeks won’t change the fact that Binnington has carved out an historic season for himself and he’ll now be the future of this franchise between the pipes for the foreseeable future.
For the Vegas Golden Knights, their present is very much secure with Marc-Andre Fleury proving time and time again that he’s still one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL and he’s unstoppable when he plays at the peak of his powers.
But, all good things come to an end and the Golden Knights will hope to discover their very own Jordan Binnington, whether he’s already in the organization or acquired via the draft, free agency or a trade, so that they, like the St. Louis Blues, can ensure that one of the most important positions in all of sports is in good hands going forward.