"When he left Owen Sound (following the 2012-13 season), I expected him at some point to be a steady, full-time No. 1 goalie in the NHL," DeGray said of Binnington. "I'm not going to sit here and say it would be at 23 or 29 [years old]. But I often felt -- and I think anyone who's been here would say -- he's going to put enough time in and he's going to check the boxes. And someone's going to have to give him the opportunity to show what he can do."
What the 25-year-old goalie has done is save the Blues season. When Binnington was recalled him from San Antonio of the American Hockey League on Jan. 5, St. Louis was 16-19-4 and last in the Western Conference. Now, the Blues are 36-25-7 and third in the Central Division, four points behind the second-place Nashville Predators.
The Blues host the Arizona Coyotes at Enterprise Center Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, FS-A, NHL.TV).
Binnington, a third-round pick (No. 87) by St. Louis in the 2011 NHL Draft, began making his mark right from his first start, when he stopped 25 shots in a 3-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 7.
"He went into that Philly game and we were playing better, but we weren't getting the results, and you get that win, and all of a sudden he hasn't looked back and we haven't looked back," Blues GM Doug Armstrong said. "I think the way he's playing, too, there's a confidence about him. It's a great story. It's a fun one to be a part of, to watch day by day."
Binnington was named NHL rookie of the month for February, during which he was 10-1-0 with a 1.44 goals-against average and .945 save percentage. Four of those wins were shutouts. Binnington is the ninth rookie goalie in League history to get 10 wins in a calendar month, and the first to do it since Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings in March of 2010 (12-2-1)
When the Blues won 10 straight games from Jan. 23-Feb. 19, Binnington was in goal for nine of the victories.
"I'm definitely calm and just tried to focus on my job and just stop the puck. Go save by save, minute by minute and just enjoy the experience," Binnington said. "I'm hoping to get some more action and be a part of the solution on the rise of the Blues."
Binnington was 6-10-2 with a 4.44 GAA and .888 save percentage in his first season with Owen Sound. In his final season there four years later, he went 32-12-6 with a 2.17 GAA and .932 save percentage, and was named the Ontario Hockey League's goaltender of the year.