Blues open training camp with expectations, veteran lineup that didn't change much

Minimal additions to squad that was 49-22-11 last season, made it to 

second round of playoffs looked upon make bigger push moving forward

By LOU KORAC
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Craig Berube was already in midseason form, barking at the Blues during the first day of training camp, which opened Thursday at Centene Community Ice Center.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Goalie Jordan Binnington faces a shot during the first day of training

camp on Thursday at Centene Community Ice Center.

The Blues coach, opening his fourth full season guiding the ship behind the bench, was on top of a group of skaters that included 54 skaters that began the process for the 2022-23 season.
With the first preseason game on Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Arizona Coyotes in Wichita, Kan., it's time to hone in on fine-tuning the game.

"Since I've been here, we've had good camps and practices," Berube said. "The first days have been good, good pace. Guys worked hard trying to accomplish some stuff. The pace was good.

"You've got to prepare. Guys start in the offseason with their training and coming into camp in good shape. You take camp and you take the next step preparing for the regular season. Obviously there's some players fighting for some jobs and young guys and things like that, but as a team, you're trying to prepare your team to play a certain way and a certain style and make sure they're ready to go."

The Blues made minimal changes to the roster, most notably losing David Perron (free agency) and Ville Husso (trade) each to the Detroit Red Wings. They added forward Noel Acciari (free agent, Florida), goalie Thomas Greiss (free agent, Detroit) and resigned defenseman Nick Leddy and are bringing back a veteran cast that pushed the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season in the second round before falling in six games. 

"It's always exciting to be back out with the guys," said center Robert Thomas, who signed an eight-year, $65 million extension July 13, which was the richest contract in Blues history before . Always an exciting time of year and feels like hockey's coming around the corner.

"We're pretty much the same team. We've got young guys pushing for spots and a lot of other guys pushing for spots that are really good players. I like the way our direction's going. I think we were so close last year. A couple bounces and it's a different end to the season. We're right there. Happy we've got pretty much everyone back and I feel like we're going to be right there again and we're pushing for it.

"Everyone's chasing Colorado. We all got to get better and match their level. We feel like we've got a good chance of doing that."

There will be some battles for spots, albeit very limited, but there are veterans in camp, such as veteran forwards Josh Leivo (free agent, Carolina), Matthew Highmore (free agent, Vancouver), Martin Frk (free agent, Los Angeles) and Tyler Pitlick (professional tryout, Calgary) in to battle for bottom forward spots, and high-end draft picks in forwards Jake Neighbours (first round, 2020) and Zach Bolduc (first round, 2021) battling for jobs.

"There's jobs," Berube said. "There's some jobs available there that guys are going to be fighting for, which is a good thing. We want a competitive camp.

"Jake Neighbours last year really proved himself in camp coming in here and playing extremely well in exhibition games. He's a hard-working guy. I thought he did a really good job and that's why he made the team. He didn't last, but he made the team and he's going to have to do the same thing. You've got to work, you've got to compete and you've got to play at a high level and prove yourself, same as Bolduc and other guys. Bolduc didn't get as many games last year with injury and stuff like that, but I thought that he played well the games he played."

The 30-year-old Acciari, who the Blues faced when they defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, was brought in on a one-year, $1.25 million contract to supplant the loss of Tyler Bozak, who remains unsigned.

"From obviously coaching against him in that series against us, he's the type of guy that goes out there, checks hard, he's physical, he's hard to play against, smart player defensively," Berube said of Acciari. "Obviously he has some touch. He scored 20 goals two years ago. Pretty good. We're excited to have him."

The 36-year-old Greiss replaces Husso, who was traded to the Red Wings before signing a three-year contract worth $4.75 million per season. Greiss, who spent the past two seasons with the Red Wings, got a one-year deal for $1.25 million to be Jordan Binnington's backup.

"We're going to need good hockey out of him, we're going to need games," Berube said of Greiss, whose best seasons were with the New York Islanders 2015-20. "If you look at the past, our backup goalie or whatever you want to call him, he's played significant amount of hockey and won us hockey games. We're going to need the same thing.

"Pretty consistent. He knows where he's at and where he stands with us. This league is tough. We need two goalies. Not every team uses two goalies as much as we do, but that's where we're at."

Forward Alexey Toropchenko skated with both groups on Thursday, showing signs of quick healing from offseason shoulder surgery he said he played with for much of last season, including in Springfield of the American Hockey League.

"I'm working hard. I've been here all summer," Toropchenko said. "I just went after surgery for like couple weeks for vacation because I couldn't do anything still. I came back here earlier in July and I was working out. ... I feel better every day. Still no contact yet, but very soon. 

"Just happened earlier in the season when I was in Springfield. I was hoping that I don't need the surgery but the doctor said I need to do that. I was playing with a brace for like half of last season. After that, they did an MRI and x-ray and they say it will not heal by itself so you need to do surgery. It was a good time to have it done."

The original prognosis was for Toropchenko to be out until mid-December, but that process appears to be on track for a much sooner return date than that.

"I can tell you it will be very soon, very soon. I don't know the date exactly, but it will be soon," Toropchenko said. "... I already like skate for a month. I'm shooting, passing, dribbling, everything is fine. I need more time to have bone heal 100 percent to get ready."

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Jake Neighbours (left) will be one of the younger players to watch out for at

Blues training camp this season. 

Binnington skated in full after the left knee injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the playoffs stemming from the collision in the first period of Game 3 of the second round against the Avalanche with forward Nazem Kadri and Blues teammate Calle Rosen, and defenseman Torey Krug was a full participant after missing the final nine postseason games last season due to a lower-body injury sustained in Game 3 of the first round against the Minnesota Wild.
And finally, the Blues will have a closer, more broadened look at their blue line due to veteran Marco Scandella to miss a minimum of six months following right hip joint surgery.

That means lefties Niko Mikkola and Scott Perunovich, who were already in the mix for the top eight, will get even more extended looks.

"It's always tough when a teammate goes down," Perunovich said. "'Scandy' has always been unbelievable to me and all the younger guys, kind of takes us under his wing. You never want to see that happen and you feel for the guy, but he'll have a good recovery and be back stronger and better, but obviously that means the spot's open and you want to try and capitalize on it and have a good camp and see what happens."

* NOTES -- Friday's practice sessions will be at 10 a.m. for Group B and noon for Group A at Centene, and both sessions are free and open to the public.