Panthers Could Revisit Their Goalie Plans With Jordan Binnington Available
With Jacob Markström injured and Florida still searching for steady goaltending, Jordan Binnington offers a proven option—if the Panthers can make the cap work.
Florida’s goaltending plan has already taken a hit, and Connor Hellebuyck is no longer an option. That makes Jordan Binnington a name worth discussing for the Panthers: he has championship experience, a substantial NHL track record and a $6 million cap hit matching Jacob Markström’s. Any move would take careful cap work, and there’s no reported deal here. But with Markström sidelined and Akira Schmid carrying the workload, Florida has reason to examine its choices.
Florida’s current tandem faces an early test
The Panthers had Hellebuyck on their radar, according to reports cited in the source article, but the three-time Vezina Trophy winner went to New Jersey. Florida instead brought in 36-year-old Markström, hoping the veteran could help the club return to the Stanley Cup Final. That plan has been interrupted by injuries and uneven early results.
Markström started the season 3-1-1 through five appearances, with a save percentage below .900. He left a game against Buffalo after the first period and missed Florida’s next two games. After returning, he sustained another injury in practice and was expected to miss at least 10 to 14 days, TSN reported.
Schmid has filled in with a 2-2-1 record, a 3.62 goals-against average and an .867 save percentage. Those figures describe a difficult stretch, not a full assessment of the goalie. Still, the Panthers have yet to see the steady results they expected from the pair. With Markström out, the question is how much uncertainty Florida can carry in net while pursuing another deep run.
Binnington brings a championship résumé
Binnington’s case starts with the 2019 Stanley Cup run. As a rookie, he helped St. Louis claim the first championship in franchise history, beating Boston in Game 7 at TD Garden. He finished the postseason 16-10 with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Ryan O’Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy, but Binnington’s work was central to the Blues’ run.
His broader NHL record is substantial, too. Across 380 regular-season games, he has gone 187-138-43 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. He has been St. Louis’ primary goalie for much of the past several seasons, helping the club reach the playoffs in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2025. That experience would give Florida a different kind of option than relying on a tandem still finding its footing.
Binnington has also remained prominent in international play. He helped Canada win the 4 Nations Faceoff and earned the starting role for the Olympic tournament described in the source. In the gold-medal game, he faced Hellebuyck, with Jack Hughes scoring the overtime winner for the United States. His international résumé reinforces his experience in high-pressure games, though it can’t settle the question of how he would perform in Florida.
St. Louis has a reason to consider its options
The possibility of a trade begins with Joel Hofer’s growing role. He has increasingly taken on the starting duties in St. Louis, including seven of the team’s first 10 games this season, according to the source. Binnington played 41 games last season and finished 13-20-7, his worst record as a full-time NHLer. The Blues have added players and adjusted their roster, but they have not become a consistent playoff team in the Central Division.
That context could make a change worth considering for both sides, but it does not establish that St. Louis is shopping Binnington or that a trade is close. His name has appeared in trade speculation, and any Panthers inquiry would depend on the Blues’ plans as well as Florida’s ability to put together a workable offer. The emergence of Hofer may create an opening; it doesn’t guarantee one.
There’s also a potential connection in Florida’s front office. Roberto Luongo has deep ties to Team Canada and would know Binnington through that environment. That familiarity could help the Panthers evaluate his experience and personality, but the core questions remain his play, availability and the price of acquiring him.
The cap hit is familiar; the roster math is not
Binnington’s cap hit is $6 million, the same as Markström’s, according to CapWages. The source places that figure $2.5 million below Hellebuyck’s contract with New Jersey. That makes Binnington a less expensive target by cap hit than Hellebuyck, but it doesn’t make a trade easy. Florida does not have the room available to add the full amount without creating flexibility elsewhere.
The Panthers would have to weigh any contract movement against the value of strengthening the position. A move involving an existing contract could help create space, but the source gives no proposed trade package or route to clear the money. Those details matter as much as Binnington’s pedigree: a proven starter can help only if the club can fit the deal and preserve the roster it needs around him.
Markström’s injury makes the need for dependable goaltending more immediate, while Schmid’s current results leave questions about how the tandem will hold up. Binnington is a plausible name for Florida to investigate, not a solution the Panthers have secured. The next meaningful signs will be Markström’s return, Schmid’s performance in the interim and whether St. Louis is open to moving its longtime starter.
