After Darryl Sutter accepted his new position as assistant GM of the Blues, St Louis needed a new coach. They found their man in Alain Vigneault, arguably the best coach available at the time, Vigneault continues the coaching tradition of defense first, following in the path of Darryl Sutter.

This year's camp includes 31 players, and everyone will get at least 2 games in, even some expected to begin the year on the farm team. Saku Koivu, who was recently named captain will return to a side that missed out on the playoffs. However, with new wingers Alexander Frolov and Mark Recchi (both in their first year with the Blues), he is hoping to change that.

The offseason has seen a lot of change, with the big presence of Zdeno Chara moving on, while seeing new faces like Adam Foote, Rostislav Klesla, Evengi Nabakov, Ryan Malone and Pavel Kubina come in and strengthen the side.

Unless there is a huge surprise in the preseason the expected centers for the side will be Saku Koivu, Ryan Malone, Matt Cullen and Jeffrey Hamilton. Kris Beech, Ben Guite, Petr Tenkrat and John Pohl will provide a wide range of possible call ups in case of injury.

The expected left wingers for the club will be Alexander Frolov, Nik Antropov, Boyd Devereaux and Vernon Fiddler. Currently, only David Steckel is the emergency call up for the left side, but that could change in the near future.

Expected right wingers are Mark Recchi, Jamie Langenbrunner, Daniel Cleary and Alexander Burrows. Jason Ward will be the emergency call up with Endicott remaining on the farm team no matter how dire the circumstances.

The starting six defensemen for the Blues are Adam Foote, Pavel Kubina, Rostislav Klesla, Kyle McLaren, Tim Gleason and Stephane Robidas. Travis Roche, Ric Jackman and Joe DiPenta are the current call ups, but Yannic Tremblay will be tendered an offer before the season starts.

It is obvious who the goaltending duo for the Blues will be, Evengi Nabakov is the team's first star goalie under the management of GM Gareth Evans, while David Aebischer should be more than qualified to be a backup and play at least 10 games. Jimmy Howard and Yann Danis will be the callups in case of injury.