from Jeremy P. Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch,

Stastny looked much more at ease Monday, following a pressurizing period in his life last year in which he signed a four-year, $28 million free-agent contract with his hometown team, got married, sustained a shoulder injury in his fourth game and struggled to find his role with his new club.

“Yeah, way more (at ease),” Stastny said. “It was a whirlwind of emotions. I don’t regret anything, but it was a lot of change in a short period of time. I think you can prepare yourself as much as you can for something, but once you get in that position, you never know what’s going to happen.”

As the Blues open training camp Thursday, Stastny says that he’s better equipped to handle whatever comes his way this season, having more familiarity with the organization, growing trust with Blues coach Ken Hitchcock and possessing an open mind.

“Early on there were times where, sometimes you second-guess yourself,” Stastny said. “That’s what happens when you go through ups and downs. You have that injury, so you’re just upset a little bit. Sometimes you’re too negative over certain things.

“When I’m at my best, I’m loose, I’m smiling. That’s who I am and I don’t want to change that. Not everything is going to go smoothly, but I’ve got to learn to deal with it better and I’m more prepared for that.”

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