Jordan Binnington signs short term deal with the Blues.

The St. Louis Blues have got their man. 

It was of course only a matter of time before breakout star Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues came to terms on a new contract, but on Saturday the two sides made it official when they agreed to terms on a brand new deal. According to a breaking news report from St. Louis Blues insider Jeremy Rutherford, the Blues have signed Binnington to a 2 year contract that will carry an average annual value of $4.4 million over the term of that deal. That works out to a cool $8.8 million for a young man that every team in the NHL allowed to slip through waivers at different times last season.

Binnington of course was a massive part of the St. Louis Blues turn around this season, coming from seemingly out of nowhere in midseason and going on to appear in 32 games for the Blues. He was dynamite in those games recording a very impressive 1.89 goals against average, and an equally strong save percentage of just .927. Binnington would not stop there, backstopping the Blues all the way to the Stanley Cup Final and eventually helping his team defeat the Bruins in Game 7 by allowing just a single goal in the third period after 2 periods of shutout hockey. 

The deal here might seem surprising to fans but it is one that I believe makes a lot of sense for both sides here. The Blues obviously were not going to be interested in handing out a contract with a lengthy term to a 26 year old goaltender that has really only shown this level of form at the NHL level over a very limited stretch of time. The short 2 year term makes a lot of sense for the Blues but it also likely explains why they had to give up significant dollars to a goaltender who still in many ways has a lot to prove, this in spite of already being a Stanley Cup Champion. This will unquestionably be the largest payday of Binnington's career, and if he can maintain his level over the two year term he will have successfully gambled on himself and parlayed his way into a big contract.