1. The Forward Group Is Deep
With the offseason additions of Sundqvist and Hayes, the St. Louis Blues forward group is starting to resemble the depth that the 2019 team had. Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou will anchor the top line with Pavel Buchnevich, and all three have looked great throughout the preseason.
Newly-named captain Brayden Scheen will have Brandon Saad on his left wing and a combination of Kasperi Kapanen and Jakub Vrana, leaving Hayes to center Sammy Blais and one of Kapanen or Vrana.
The team’s fourth line finally has an identity going into the new season. With the return of MacEachern, Sundqvist, Alexey Toropchenko, Jake Neighbours, and Nikita Alexandrov, the depth of this team is something to be excited about.
St. Louis has elite offensive scoring potential with Thomas, Kyrou, Buchnevich, and Vrana, and they also possess the physical presence of Hayes, Sundqvist, Schenn, and Blais.
If the group can stay healthy, it looks like the team should be able to score at will, and it might cover up any defensive shortcomings that could arise this season.