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Brodeur. Hasek. Binnington.

By the middle of this season, Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington could find himself in the company of two of the best goaltenders in hockey history. All he needs is an Olympic gold medal in February, and then Binnington would become the third goalie ever — joining Martin Brodeur and Dominik Hasek — to win an Olympic gold medal game and a Stanley Cup-clinching game.

Of course, that’s not quite at the forefront of Binnington’s mind right now.

“It goes down to focusing on my process and not looking too far ahead,” Binnington said during training camp. “The better we do here as a group, that takes care of that (Olympics) situation. Playing at the international level is a great honor, and it’s something that you work for your whole career. You’ve got to recognize that you don’t want to look too far ahead, you want to stay in the moment. Right now, that’s building with this team. That will set you up for what’s to come.”

Right now, that means Binnington is building upon a sparkling preseason in which he allowed just two goals on 73 shots (.973 save percentage) as he enters another NHL season in which his play will be under the microscope because of its effect on international hockey. Binnington is projected to again be the starter on Team Canada, just as he was for the 4 Nations Face-Off in the spring, which he used as a springboard to help the Blues into the playoffs.

After the 4 Nations Face-Off, Binnington’s save percentage was .910, up from the .897 it was before the break. Only one NHL goalie had more than Binnington’s 13 wins after the break. When the Blues went on their 12-game win streak, Binnington started seven times and posted a .931 save percentage to go along with a 1.84 goals against average.

“I feel like not only personally, but it was a group,” Binnington said. “We were just in sync, and that’s what you want to be a part of in this league is just winning hockey and positive guys, standing up for each other and battling for each other and pushing each other.”

Binnington has typically been a confident person — everyone remembers his viral “Do I look nervous?” quip as a rookie — but how much did the 4 Nations performance accentuate that?

“I think experience is wisdom,” Binnington said. “That’s something I try to do is learn from experiences, take what I can from them positive and use that moving forward. I think that’s what those types of moments and experiences do and build over time.”

Blues coach Jim Montgomery said Binnington’s camp was the best he’s seen from the 32-year-old netminder, including the two camps that Montgomery was in ӣ����Ƶ as an assistant coach.

“He just looks supremely confident, looks calm,” Montgomery said. “Every game he’s played in, he’s had to make numerous good, real high-end saves, and he’s made them look easy.”

Binnington is a big part of what the Blues are trying to accomplish this season. With added forward depth to supplement a younger group of defensemen, ӣ����Ƶ hopes the one area of the game it doesn’t have to worry about is in the crease.

Binnington has proven himself on the big stages before, most notably the run to the 2019 Stanley Cup, but also shows out for games of magnitude during the season. Last season, he captured wins in the season opener, his return to Toronto, in the Winter Classic and the game to clinch a playoff spot.

“He’s a fierce competitor,” Montgomery said. “If the 4 Nations and the Stanley Cup run doesn’t convince people that he’s one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL, well, so be it. We know internally that he is.”

Binnington: “We know what we can do. We have good personnel in here. We have fun working together, and I think that’s so important. At the same time, it’s not thinking too far ahead. It’s sticking to that process day to day, and the rest will take care of itself, just setting ourselves up the best we can. Playing hard for each other, sticking to our identity and following the system.”

Binnington is one of many Blues who have reiterated that last year’s success down the stretch means little coming into this season, particularly because of how poorly the playoffs ended with the Game 7 collapse and double-overtime loss to Winnipeg. But that doesn’t mean it is useless information.

“It’s a combination of noting the things we did well, also understanding that it’s a new season, it’s a tough league and the game keeps you humble,” Binnington said. “You’ve got to respect the game, so you’ve got to put the work in and approach it the same way. Stick to our process, which is putting in the work every single day and letting that build to wherever that takes us.”

The Blues hope that ends in another playoff berth.

“Personally, I feel excited about this group the opportunity we have,” Binnington said. “Building from what we’ve been doing the last year or so. I’d say the emotion I feel is excited.”