Friday Four: Should Jordan Binnington still be Canada’s starter?

The Friday Four is a collection of thoughts and information on intriguing player storylines from around the NHL. On deck this week:

· Is Jordan Binnington still Canada’s best option?
· Jake Guentzel helping Lightning overcome injuries
· John Carlson turning back the clock for Capitals
· Brandon Bussi making a big impression in Carolina

Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues

It’s been a typical seven days for Binnington. A decent outing last Friday in a big win over the Ottawa Senators, followed up by a rough game Monday, where he got pulled, and then allowing five goals on Thursday night. He even threw in a viral moment where he let his frustrations out on his head coach for good measure. It was the full Binnington experience. The good, the bad, the ugly.

The St. Louis Blues goaltender is not quiet in the net. For better or worse, Binnington always stands out, much like he did at the 4 Nations in February. Carrying the weight of countless questions being asked of the Canadian goaltending, Binnington showed up and delivered for his country, especially in overtime in the gold medal victory over the United States. Now he’s seemingly going to be leaned on again at the Olympics, and the trust and faith Team Canada and its fans have in him runs counterintuitive to the way most evaluate players.

If you were choosing Canada’s goaltenders based on a large sample size and the way they’ve played this season, Binnington really doesn’t have a case to make the cut. The 32-year-old owns an .874 save percentage, which is easily the worst of his career and, truth be told, outside of a solid campaign in 2023-24, Binnington’s game has been trending downward since he burst onto the season with an all-time heater that helped the Blues to a Stanley Cup title six years ago.

Let’s imagine for a minute that Binnington was a skater and not a goalie. I’m not trying to pick on Steven Stamkos here, and he has a pair of Cups, a 60-goal season and an 80-point campaign two years ago, but with only 11 points in 2025-26, his name isn’t anywhere near the Olympic conversation. However, it’s a different story with Binnington, partly because there aren’t a half-dozen veteran candidates in goal who have big-game international experience for Canada to pick from. Not to mention, there are few, if any, positions in all of sports that are as pressure-packed as a goaltender that has to partake in a winner-take-all scenario, as we could see at the Olympics.

If it were as simple as who is playing the best right now, like it appears to be when it comes to what should be no-brainer skater selections with Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, GM Doug Armstrong’s job of choosing his goalies would be simple. Logan Thompson, Darcy Kuemper and Scott Wedgewood have all vastly outplayed Binnington this season, and all three are in the top 10 when it comes to goals saved above expected. Thompson ranks first. All three are also 30 save percentage points clear of Binnington. Logic says start one of those hot hands in a short, two-week tournament.

However, what Binnington possesses is something that none of the other three can accomplish between now and the Olympics. He won a Game 7 on the road in the Stanley Cup Final, stopping 32-of-33 shots. Binnington then stopped 31-of-33 shots in a winner-take-all gold medal game at the 4 Nations Face-Off, including a handful of saves in overtime that could have their own heritage moment in Canadian lore.

Those things aren’t easily forgotten. There’s no amount of goals saved above expected or level of high-danger save percentage that Kuemper, Thompson or Wedgewood can reach to make them a better option than Binnington in many people’s minds when everything is on the line.

Goaltending, like Binnington sometimes, isn’t always rational or logical.

Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning have every reason to be hanging out in the Eastern Conference basement.

Tampa Bay has been decimated by injuries this season, and you’d have a hard time recognizing half their defence corps if you bumped into them on the street, yet they’re leading the Atlantic Division and have the second-best goal differential in the East. That’s an improbable outcome for a team that hasn’t had captain Victor Hedman in the lineup for about a month and top centre Brayden Point for more than two weeks, in addition to all the other missing bodies.

One constant, though, has been Guentzel, who has 14 goals and 28 points in 27 games. It’s hardly a standout campaign compared to what others are doing in the NHL this season, but Guentzel has been a model of consistency throughout his career and the Lightning could be in some major trouble at the moment without him. He notched 41 goals in his first season with Tampa and added three goals in five playoff games. Guentzel’s post-season resume is decorated with a Stanley Cup and an average of more than half a goal per game. The Lightning signed him with the hope of extending their competitive window and having a few more playoff runs as he did in Pittsburgh.

During those years with the Penguins, Guentzel was often overshadowed by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and now the same thing could be happening in Tampa. It’s hard to stand out when you’re surrounded by Point, Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brandon Hagel. Guentzel may not get as much attention as the league’s top tier of elite players do, but it’s undeniable that he’s been a critically important player in both of his NHL stops, as he just quietly goes about his business.

John Carlson, Washington Capitals

I’m not sure anyone expected to see this version of Carlson again. The Washington Capitals defenceman is enjoying a renaissance season, posting 23 points in 26 games, which is good for a 73-point pace. The last time Carlsson was scoring at that rate was the 2021-22 campaign, and now he’s going to be turning 36 in January.

One thing that could be contributing to a rejuvenated Carlson is a deeper Washington defence corps that’s allowed him to play fewer minutes. Carlson’s average ice time is the lowest it’s been since the 2016-17 season, thanks to emerging players Martin Fehervary and Rasmus Sandin taking on larger roles. Matt Roy and Jakob Chychrun have also been key additions to the back end in recent years and it’s helped the Caps not lean on Carlson as much.

The veteran has also upped his shot volume this season. He’s trending toward 190 shots on goal in 2025-26 after averaging 170 over the past two years. That’s already potted Carlson six goals, which is one more than he had all of last season and puts him on a 19-goal pace. That would be the highest total of his career and something that would be a real surprise for the Capitals as they look to put together another strong campaign.

This renaissance from Carlson couldn’t have come at a better time. For one, the veteran blueliner will be a UFA next summer in what isn’t exactly shaping up to be a strong class. There’s a decent chance he just extends with the Caps, but he’s building leverage with this strong showing and a rising cap. This is also an Olympic year, and while it remains unlikely Carlson will crack the Team USA squad, he’s certainly giving the Americans something to think about.

Brandon Bussi, Carolina Hurricanes

When a team carries three goalies, it’s never ideal. You don’t always get your own net in practice, and starts can become so infrequent that it’s tough to get into a rhythm. Carolina is one team that hasn’t been shy about doing it in the past, and this season, it is back at it with the trio of Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi through the first two months.

Part of the reason the Canes have had to employ three netminders is because Kochetkov and Andersen have been unreliable. Whether it’s injuries or inconsistency, Carolina hasn’t been able to fully trust either guy over the years, and that’s opened the door for Bussi, who has walked right through it. Since a waiver claim from Florida in early October, all Bussi has done is go 7-1-0 with a .908 save percentage and a shutout. He’s quickly become Carolina’s most reliable option between the pipes in a short amount of time. Not bad for a 27-year-old who wasn’t drafted and hadn’t played an NHL game until this season.

Bussi has taken advantage of multiple injuries to Kochetkov, who has appeared in only five games this season. He missed all of October with an ailment and then went back on the shelf recently with another issue. Meanwhile, Andersen has been healthy for a change but hasn’t been producing his typically strong numbers. The veteran is just 5-7-2 with an .875 save percentage and a goals-against average over three.

Given how Carolina plays with a great defensive structure and has a deep team, they don’t need prime Dominik Hasek in net. As long as they have someone who can stay healthy and not give up a bunch of bad goals, they can make it work and win hockey games. That person appears to be Bussi, and he has potentially stumbled into a great opportunity to make a name for himself and perhaps cement a regular spot in this goaltending rotation, even when everyone is healthy.