The St. Louis Blues have announced that future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur will be in St. Louis for a professional tryout with the team starting Friday. The decision comes after goalie Brian Elliott suffered an injury in the second period of Monday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. The extent on Elliott’s injury is unknown yet, but the team has listed him as “week-to-week.” It doesn’t sound like Elliott will be out for the entire season, so a short-term solution would be likely.

Brodeur is closing in on the end of his career. The Montreal native didn’t resign with the Devils this off-season after losing his starting goalie job to newcomer Corey Schneider, and he hasn’t been able to ink a deal with another club.  The four-time Vezina trophy winner now has a chance to get back into the NHL and the age of 42, but it might just be too little too late for one of the greatest goalies of all time.

The Blues are looking for a short-term solution–probably in the six-eight week range–assuming Elliott’s injury is that severe, and Brodeur is looking for a permanent position for the remainder of the season. The three-time Stanley Cup champion hasn’t played an NHL game since April 13, 2014 and has been keeping in shape by practicing with the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).  In a perfect world, the Blues would like for Brodeur to be the backup to 24-year old Jake Allen and help the Blues keep pace in a very tight Central division. The idea is nice, but it’s almost impossible to expect the two-time Olympic gold medalist to be NHL game ready in only a week.

Brodeur will have a week to prove to management that he can help the team, but I wouldn’t get too excited about him making the team. The Blues have already played 22 games this season, and every player is getting into mid-season form by now, making it hard for him to be ready to start should the Blues decided to keep him on the roster. The NHL’s all time leader in regular season wins, shutouts and games played will be at a disadvantages to everyone else in the league, and it doesn’t make sense for St. Louis to gamble on a goalie that may not be ale to help them at all.

The Blues have called up Jordan Binnington from the Chicago Wolves to back up Allen, and that seems like the most logical route to take. The idea of going with a back up goalie that has never played a game in the NHL may not be appealing to the Blues, but having a 42-year-old goalie who hasn’t played a game yet this year isn’t a better solution. It may be time for the 1994 Calder Trophy winner to consider retirement and it may be time for the Blues to lean on Jake Allen and see what the kid is made of. One thing is for sure, it’s not an ideal situation for anyone, and only time will tell if Brodeur will play for the Blues, or any other team in the NHL.