By Jordan Long
The St. Louis Blues are one of the worst teams in the NHL so far this season. They stand at 10-14-4 for a total of 24 points. There are two teams that have less points than the Blues, the Chicago Blackhawks and the L.A. Kings who both have 23 points. With their struggles, the Blues placed goaltender Chad Johnson on waivers after calling up Jordan Binnington from San Antonio Rampage of the AHL (American Hockey League)
The Blues signed Johnson in the off-season to a team friendly deal of 1 year, $1.75 million. They thought he could be the backup goaltender to Jake Allen. Johnson was coming off a subpar year with the Buffalo Sabers when he went 10-17-3 with a 3.55 goals against average and a save percentage of .891.
This season Johnson has not been worth the money. His record is 2-6 with a goals against average of 3.55 and a save percentage of .884. Johnson hasn’t been able to cover up the puck nor has he been able to stop opponents from scoring. Johnson hasn’t earned a victory for the Blues since November 9th when he helped them to a 4-0 win over the San Jose Sharks. The Blues couldn’t trust him and put him on waivers.
Binnington has his chance to shine in the NHL. For the San Antonio Rampage he is the #1 goaltender. His record is 8-4 with a 2.34 goals against average and a save percentage of .914. The Blues hope his numbers will be the same in the NHL. If they are, Binnington has a chance to stay with the Blues the rest of the year.
For Johnson this might be the end for him in St. Louis. With the Blues placing him on waivers, any team can pick him up for goaltender help. His numbers have not been there this year. Teams should stay away because he will not improve their goaltender situation. If Johnson is not picked up, the Blues may have to release him and move on.
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