from Jared Clinton of The Hockey News,

Given the roster the Blues have been able to assemble throughout the summer, too, some projections have St. Louis safely in the post-season, if not as one of the Central Division and Western Conference’s top contenders. That isn’t without reason, either.

On paper, the Blues have the out-and-out scoring talent to be a threat on a nightly basis. In Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn, not to mention O’Reilly and Perron, there should be more than enough pure offense to run with the best and brightest in the league. And defensively, the Blues have assembled a solid group. Captain Alex Pietrangelo and young stalwart Colton Parayko give St. Louis one heck of a one-two punch on its top two pairings, and there’s enough depth — be it Joel Edmundson, Vince Dunn or veteran Jay Bouwmeester — that the Blues need not worry about defensive deficiencies.

But as St. Louis aims for a return to post-season play, it’s not Tarasenko or O’Reilly or Pietrangelo or Parayko who stand to make or break the coming campaign. We know what to expect from all four, and chances are each will either meet or exceed expectations. It’s not even Schwartz or Schenn or Bozak or Maroon who hold the key to St. Louis’ playoff return. Rather, that responsibility falls on the shoulders of No. 1 netminder Jake Allen, who enters the 2018-19 season with considerable pressure to ensure the Blues make good on a truly successful summer.

more