Blues like Sobotka's versatility

With a new contract and 100 percent healthy, forward excited about new season

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- A year ago at this time, Vladimir Sobotka was a spectator more than a participant.

Sobotka, the Blues' multi-purpose center/winger, was on the mend. Getting his left shoulder right and ready to go was the first order of business.

Sobotka, 24, missed the first four games rehabbing after off-season shoulder surgery but became an integral part of the Blues' lineup last season.

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Vladimir Sobotka (17) set numerous career highs with the Blues in 2010-11

But heading into a new season, Sobotka is equipped with a new three-year, $3.9 million contract and a clean bill of health.

No wonder there have been plenty of smiles this preseason from the Trebic, Czech Republic native.

"It's actually my first camp I'm healthy and I'm excited for a new season," Sobotka said. "I spent a lot of time in Prague (over the summer). I was practicing there with Slavia Prague and I worked out with them and skated with them. I feel good."

Sobotka is coming off a season in which he set career highs in points (29), goals (seven), assists (22) and games played (65) with the Blues after being acquired from the Boston Bruins in exchange for the rights to defenseman David Warsofsky at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Sobotka's role on the team widened with the rash of injuries the team suffered. After beginning on the fourth line and asked to be a checking center, the 5-foot-10, 183-pound Sobotka was pressed into scoring roles as warranted. He did it all for the Blues.

But with the Blues as deep as they've been in years, Sobotka's role on the team seems to be more defined.

"The initial thought is to use him on the wing," Blues coach Davis Payne said. "He and I talked about that. I thought he played very well there last year. He made that adjustment, had some real strong games there. Scotty Nichol coming into the fold, we feel we've really strengthened that middle. I feel like those two guys would make a real good tandem.

"Sobe contributed in a lot of different ways.... We feel that we've got guys that can move up in a number of different roles. We also feel guys can move up and play solid, defensive checking roles. Who's going to have those sole responsibilities Oct. 8 is what we've got to determine."

Using Sobotka on the fourth line again with Nichol and B.J. Crombeen, a familiar linemate last season, give the unit a polished look.

"Sobe can do a number of things," Crombeen said recently, "and he did them all well. It's easy playing with a guy like that. If you need him to play a more checking style, he did that. When he was asked to step into a scoring role, he did that as well. He may not look very big out there, but let me tell you, the guy's as strong as they come for the package he brings."

It was an easy decision to resign Sobotka when he became a restricted free agent this past summer, according to general manager Doug Armstrong.

"One of the things I respect about Vladi is his versatility," Armstrong said. "It's like dressing two players on a lot of nights. He can play left wing on your top line, be an anchor on your bottom two (lines), power play, kill penalties ... he's real versatile.

"You need two or three guys like that on a roster. I also think at his age, he's defined himself and we know what he's going to do now. He'll be able to provide more offense as he matures. But the type of player he is, he exemplifies what we want to be on the ice as competitors."

Sobotka, who made his preseason debut in Wednesday's 4-3 win over Tampa Bay, is on par with the rest of the team as far as winning is concerned. He's ready to do whatever it takes.

"I can see myself being more effective in games," said Sobotka, who also missed the month of March last season with a broken foot. "I'd like to shoot the puck more and play like I played last year. Of course I'd like to play with the scoring players and creating chances for other players, but if they have a checking role for me and I'm playing more defensive hockey, I'm also good with that. I want to make this a better team. We have a really good team this year and I just want to do whatever I can and help as much as possible."

(9-21-11) Blues-Lightning Gameday Lineup

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- After Brian Elliott's performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night in a 3-1 victory, the ball is now in Ben Bishop's court.

Bishop gets the start tonight when the Blues and Lightning go at it again in Orlando, Fla. Gametime is 6 p.m.

Bishop and Elliott are in a battle for the backup job behind Jaroslav Halak and a lot will be based on how well they perform here in exhibition games.

Bishop, who was 3-4-0 with a 2.76 goals-against average and .899 save percentage, will see a much more polished Lightning lineup, which was minus Steven Stamkos, Marty St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and former Blue Eric Brewer Tuesday night.

"I think they're going to have pretty much their full lineup in so it's a good opportunity for me," Bishop said. "It's going to be a good test for us. It'll be fun to get back at it. ... You're not really worried about who's on the other side. It'll be fun to get back in there and get your feet wet again."

Blues coach Davis Payne says Bishop's camp has been solid.

"He's been very good," Payne said. "Through practices, you can see both guys (Bishop and Elliott) battling like heck. They're on every puck and trying to make every save. Now they get a chance to focus in on their game preparation knowing they're going start to finish. There's only one puck out there they've got to worry about.

"We expect to see more of their big guns. Some of the opportunities we gave them on the power play (Tampa was 1-for-8) can get a little dangerous but a good opportunity to show for him that in that role, you'll get some nights you've got to go into tough buildings against teams that are ready for you and perform well."

- - -

Forwards Evgeny Grachev and B.J. Crombeen will both be in the lineup tonight after playing Tuesday night.

Grachev scored twice in the victory and Payne wants to give him more looks as camp moves forward and planned to have the big Russian go back-to-back regardless of what transpired Tuesday.

"I thought he was very good," Payne said of Grachev. "His skill and his size is something that was well-built. I think that his effectiveness with his structure on the forecheck especially ... he had a real good stick last night, disrupted some plays. That's a way for a big guy to make himself that much more effective. There's times when he got himself into the right spots and made our structure real effective by the way he played it."

- - -

Tonight's lineup against the Lightning includes:

Brett Sterling-Patrik Berglund-Chris Stewart

Stefan Della Rovere-Vladimir Sobotka-B.J. Crombeen

Evgeny Grachev-T.J. Hensick-Ty Rattie

Yannick Veilleux-Adam Cracknell-Ryan Reaves

Kent Huskins-Alex Pietrangelo

Barret Jackman-Ian Cole

Nikita Nikitin-Cade Fairchild

Ben Bishop gets the start in goal and is expected to play the entire game; Jordan Binnington is the backup.

- - -

The Lightning's lineup, according to the Tampa Tribune, includes:

Brett Connolly-Vincent Lecavalier-Teddy Purcell

Cory Conacher-Steven Stamkos-Marty St. Louis

Tom Pyatt-Vladislav Namestnikov-Blair Jones

Richard Panik-Tyler Johnson-Michel Ouellet

Eric Brewer-Mattias Ohlund

Matt Gilroy-Marc-Andre Bergeron

Bruno Gervais-Mike Vernace

Dwayne Roloson will start in goal; Jaroslav Janus, who backed up Mathieu Garon Tuesday, will also be the backup tonight.

Elliott, Grachev help Blues win preseason opener

Netminder, winger battling for jobs key in 3-1 victory over Lightning

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- A couple guys looking to make the Blues roster this season didn't disappoint in their initial tests Tuesday.

Brian Elliott, battling Ben Bishop for the backup goalie job, and Evgeny Grachev, who the Blues acquired in a draft-day trade over the summer, made impressive debuts in the Blues' 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scottrade Center.

Elliott looked poised, confident, was square to the puck the entire game and stopped 21 shots, while Grachev scored twice, including an empty-netter to seal the victory for the Blues, who began the night playing the first of five straight days.

Elliott, who split time between Ottawa and Colorado last season, only allowed a Steve Downie power play goal as the Blues killed seven of eight penalties on the night and gave their goalie chances to see pucks. When he didn't have to stop pucks, the Blues were blocking shots, 15 of them in all.

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Blues goalie Brian Elliott (1) stopped 21 shots in a 3-1 win over the

Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.

"I felt like I was seeing the puck pretty well," Elliott said. "What I didn't see, guys were blocking in front of me. That's what you like to see, guys throwing skates and shin pads in front of pucks.

"Pucks tonight were hitting me and sticking to me."

It's the kind of start Elliott's teammates wanted to see.

"A good test for him tonight after all the penalties that we had and the power plays that they had," defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo said of Elliott. "I think he made a lot of great saves, he was real good in moving the puck and you can tell he's played at this level before. He's real calm and collective in there in making the first saves. ... He looked really confident out there."

Grachev, who the Blues acquired for a third-round pick, made the most of his presence playing with David Backes and newcomer Jamie Langenbrunner, who both picked up two assists on Grachev's goals.

"I think it doesn't help them, me playing with them, but it helps me a lot," Grachev joked. "It was great. I had fun. I'm looking forward to getting another game with them."

Grachev snapped home a shot past Mathieu Garon with 4 minutes 44 seconds left in the first period when he collected a rebound from Langenbrunner's initial shot.

"You always get that burst after scoring a goal, especially in the first game of the year with a new team," Grachev said. "... I think I wasn't consistent throughout the whole game, so it's something I've got to take a look at and analyze."

The Blues had a tough time getting into an offensive flow based on the number of penalties they had to kill off.

"That was a tough one out there, a lot of penalties, but I think you would expect that the first game of the preseason," Colaiacovo said. "A lot of new faces, guys getting their game and their legs back. ... As penalty killers, we did a great job in killing those. Our penalty killing needs to be better this year (after being 18th in the league a season ago)."

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Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo (right) checks Tampa Bay's Ashton

Carter during Tuesday's preseason game.

Added Blues coach Davis Payne, "The PK was good. Apart from some structure, the forecheck wasn't where we wanted it in the second period. When it gets right down to it, we blocked some key shots and got some key saves. It usually makes for a good starting point."

Matt D'Agostini picked up where he left off for the Blues when he netted 21 goals a season ago. His goal from the left circle beat Jaroslav Janus high glove side with 3:07 remaining in the second period.

Grachev added an empty-netter with 32 seconds to play.

"I think it's an overall good effort," Colaiacovo said. "In the first period, it was real frustrating. That was the first time I played against a system like that where they play sort of a 1-3-1. It's kind of tough to maneuver through when you're not moving your feet, when you're not coming up the ice together. But we stayed patient, we didn't crack and just continued to find plays."

The two teams will play again tonight in Orlando, Fla. at Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic. The game was originally scheduled for Winnipeg.

(9-20-11) Lightning-Blues Gameday Lineup

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The first preseason game can be tough to gauge just what a team is looking for from itself or what the coaches want to see.

For the Blues, who open their preseason slate against Tampa Bay at 7 p.m. today, coach Davis Payne will be looking for the following:

"Pace, execution, some of the details," he said. "We spent a lot of time in some of our d-zone stuff and the structure we get ourselves back into in those areas. Tampa will provide a little bit of different look in the neutral zone. That becomes a pace situation tat we want to play ahead of.

"We don't want to get these guys too caught up in structure to the point where they're not playing their game either. We can fix as we go."

The Lightning will be without some of their stars, including Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis and former Blue Eric Brewer.

- - -

Defenseman Brett Ponich, the Blues' second-round pick (48th overall) in 2009, is projected to play for the Blues' AHL affiliate in Peoria this season. That's quite a remarkable turnaround after Ponich suffered a torn ligament in his left knee less than a year ago.

"It's probably one of the more interesting things that's happened to me in my career," said Ponich, who will be paired with Kevin Shattenkirk tonight. "The surgery went really well, so it was tough to lose pretty much half the season last year. My team went to the finals of the WHL, so that was really tough, but it feels good now and I'm ready to go.

"I lost a lot of games, but this year, I focused on being on the ice a lot. Since our season ended, I didn't take any time off, I was on five times a week and the cool thing with our season going so long I was able to get back on the ice with my team, too. Now with a couple games under my belt with Traverse City, I feel good and ready to go."

At 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, the Edmonton, Alberta native has added mass and muscle to his frame. He has overcome a lot to get to the level he's at after having a successful time playing for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League.

"I've definitely tried to put on some strength and some muscle," Ponich said. "With a pretty big frame, filling out's kind of been a goal of mine."

Payne said Ponich has played well, both at Traverse City and here.

"He's very good. That's a tough injury," Payne said. "Not as tough as it used to be with the advances they've had, but you can see that he's put his work in. He's put his work in the rehab, he's put his work into getting ready. I don't know how he feels exactly from timing and all that stuff. He looks pretty good so far."

- - -

Tonight's lineup against the Lightning includes:

Evgeny Grachev-David Backes-Jamie Langenbrunner

Matt D'Agostini-Philip McRae-Jonathan Cheechoo

Chris Porter-Brett Sonne-B.J. Crombeen

Derek Nesbitt-Anthony Nigro-Anthony Peluso

Carlo Colaiacovo-Roman Polak

Brett Ponich-Kevin Shattenkirk

Danny Syvret-Mark Cundari

Brian Elliott gets the start in goal. Jake Allen will be the backup.

Sitting out tonight from Team Blue: Alex Steen, Jason Arnott, Tyler Shattock, Ryan Tesink, Cody Beach and David Shields.

- - -

The Lightning will dress: (at forward) Steve Downie, Carter Ashton, Adam Hall, Dominic Moore, Mattias Ritola, Ryan Shannon, Alex Picard, JT Wyman, Eric Neilson, Dana Tyrell, Nate Thompson and Mike Angelidis; (on defense) Richard Petiot, Mattias Ohlund, Brett Clark, Pavel Kubina, Mark Barberio, Radko Gudas and Victor Hedman; (goalies on trip) Mathieu Garon and Jaroslav Janus.

(9-20-11) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Rattie shining even after Traverse City; Elliott gets nod tonight

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- With so little time between days of practice and the first preseason game tonight against Tampa Bay, Blues coach Davis Payne was asked to sum up what he's seen with the Blue and Gold units divided up into two-plus hour long sessions.

"A few guys had good days, but there's a lot going on in a double session like that," Payne said after Monday's practice sessions at St. Louis Mills' Ice Zone. "A day like this is geared to the power play guy, the offensive guy, the guys who are finishing off some plays. I thought some of the right guys will get into those situations.

"Andy McDonald was jumping to the right spots. I thought (Alex Pietrangelo's) puck possession (and) power play stuff looked pretty good. I thought (Evgeny) Grachev had a real solid day. He looked very very comfortable in offensive situations. ... The right guys showed. I'm not going to start singling guys out. You have 54 of them out there. I think you're going to end up missing some. A lot of concepts covered but a lot of good stuff shown as well."

* Rattie shining -- The Blues' top 2011 pick, forward Ty Rattie, had a good tournament up in Traverse City with the rest of the prospects and is having a good time of it with the big boys here.

Rattie, 18, had such a good time in Michigan, "I was about to throw up before that first game. I was so nervous."

Rattie picked up two goals and added four assists in four games, helping the Blues go 3-1 and finish in third place.

"I played with (Philip) McRae and (Jay) Barriball and it was a huge help," Rattie said. "I owe a lot of credit to them how I played there."

Payne likes how he's performed here.

"It was his type of day today ... the offensive stuff. ... He's got those kinds of skills," Payne said. "He's got those kinds of instincts ... very, very comfortable with the puck on his stick, real good heads-up vision. When he gets in some tight areas, he's got confidence to make his play. Some of that stuff is hard to teach when you've got that kind of poise as an 18-year-old. It's a pretty good start."

Rattie will eventually be returned to his Western Hockey League team, the Portland Winterhawks, but in the meantime is making the best of his situation here in St. Louis.

"Any time an 18-year-old gets invited to an NHL camp is a blessing," Rattie said. "To watch all these guys and get the little habits they do, even after the practice or before the practice to prepare is huge. I'm thankful I got to come here. I'm looking forward to the time I have left here.

"It's night and day. It's a big wake-up call for myself and the first-year guys but it's a great experience."

* Elliott gets start -- It will be Brian Elliott first up on the docket when the Blues host the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight in the first preseason game of the season.

Elliott, signed to a one-year, two-way contract on July 1 to compete with Ben Bishop for the backup job in goal to Jaroslav Halak, will likely play the whole game, according to Payne.

"The intention is to not split any games," Payne said. "From our philosophy, we'd like to see a guy come in start a game, finish a game. Splitting a game ... the complexion of a game may change and it may change your evaluation of the performances, so we want to see guys play the games to their entirety."

Elliott, who split time with Ottawa and Colorado last season, said he'll handle it like any game.

"You don't want to put too much pressure on yourself," he said. "You just want to play like you normally can. When you start thinking about games too much, that's when things go haywire. You just want to stay even-keeled and approach it like any other game and try to do the best for the guys in front of you."

With past in rear view mirror, Oshie ready to tackle present, future

2005 first-round pick feels mentally, physically as strong since turning pro

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- In between the hard workouts preparing for what he's hoping will be a breakout season, T.J. Oshie had plenty of time to reflect in his native Minnesota, where the Blues forward spent the majority of his summer.

And the conclusion the 24-year-old first-round pick in 2005 came to?

"I'm just looking forward. ... With everything that happened last year, the injuries and everything else, it all ended for me that last game," Oshie said. "Time to move ahead and look forward to the future."

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T.J. Oshie (left) is ready to leave last season in the past and looking forward

to the 2011-12 season.

A tumultuous season a year ago began with so much promise for Oshie, born in Everett, Washington but who grew up in Warroad, Minnesota. He was part of the Blues' record-setting start (9-1-2). But when Oshie's left ankle buckled awkwardly and a broken left ankle ensued in Columbus in that unlucky 13th game, Oshie's season -- and the Blues' -- seemed to take odd twists the rest of the way.

Oshie would miss the next 31 games with that fractured ankle, and a myriad of injuries would seem to follow for the team. The Blues seemed to die a slow death treading in quicksand, all while Oshie's season would catapult downward as well.

There would be an incident where Oshie missed an unexcused practice that would result in the team sitting him for two games. Quietly, Blues management was none too pleased with what happened, and it was quite the eye-opener for Oshie.

There would be another injury. This time, a broken thumb that resulted in blocking a shot late in the season at Chicago. The team thought it would heal but it eventually required surgery after the initial healing process failed.

"I really didn't tell anyone about it," Oshie said of that injury. "A lot of guys on the team didn't even know. I just kind of kept it to myself. ... It was hard, but it's back to 100 percent now. Even when I was working out, I had three pins (sticking out) of my thumb. I had a little cast on there. Other than that, it's 100 percent now, but it was a tough stretch in the summer."

It was a humbling season for Oshie, who finished with 12 goals and 22 assists in 49 games. But instead of sulking on what went wrong and why it went wrong, Oshie decided to better himself both physically and mentally after getting a one-year, $2.35 million contract that took longer than expected to come to fruition. Judging by his ability to finish among the leaders Friday during the fitness and conditioning testing with 13.5 levels, Oshie's off-season workouts proved to be worth the time and energy.

"I didn't take very much time off," said Oshie, who spent the majority of his time working out at the Minnesota Hockey Camps. "I took two weeks off, got in the weight room and got right back at it. Other than that, I only took one week off in the summer (for teammate Alex Steen's charity golf tournament in Winnipeg). Other than that, I've been going strong for I don't even know how many weeks it is now.

"Instead of dwell on it and think about it, I think I learned from (sitting out two games). I think I learned from it pretty quickly. I'm ready to put it behind me and have a successful year."

There are those that question whether Oshie will ever mature as a player on and off the ice. But ask teammate Chris Stewart, it's not something Oshie's teammates think too much about.

"Right from the get-go ... the first two days he missed, he took the money from his paycheck and donated it to charity. That was a step in the right direction," Stewart said. "You can tell from the shape that he came into camp that he's ready to go.

"I've known Osh for a long time, we're represented by the same agency. I go up for the last week of summer up there in Minnesota where he's from ... he's first-class. Any time you come to a Blues practice, he's hopping, he's skipping, he's energetic and he's the best player on the ice and there's no reason why he can't do that in the game.

"He's hungry. You can see it. Not that he wasn't hungry before. He's going to be the first to tell you how hungry he is this year. He's the poster child of this organization. He doesn't want to let the boys down and he's a guy we know we can count on."

Oshie had one healthy year in 2009-10 when he played in 76 games and scored 18 goals to go with 30 assists. Many thought it was the coming out party for the 24th overall pick.

"All three years, I've had something bother me or bug me in some way," Oshie said. "I think if anything I've thought about more so is the team-oriented goals. It was a challenge having to watch other teams playing, especially in April through June when you're supposed to be out there, or you want to be out there."

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T.J. Oshie says he's as mentally and physically strong as he's ever felt.

Oshie is in that core group that the Blues have been touting as "young" players for a few seasons now. They're hitting their prime and some in the organization believe the franchise needs to be carried forward by these "young" guys, including Oshie.

"I personally don't consider them young players," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "I consider them experienced NHL players that are into that core now that they're going to dictate what type of season we're going to have."

Added Blues coach Davis Payne, "They understand what it takes to have success in this league, they understand what it takes to prepare in this league, they understand the difference between winning and losing and how to control those situations. These guys realize that. Based on their growth, that's why our expectations are where they are."

But instead of worrying about what he can do, Oshie has his sights set on more than just personal goals.

His motivation going forward?

"I think just winning ... winning games, being healthy," he said. "I think most of the reason I've worked out is because I want to be in that January-February stage where everyone's tired, everyone's kind of going through that little slump where you're playing every other night, that's where I want to be at my best. That's where I want to shine. I've got to be healthy and strong at that time. I think that's my biggest motivation, to get to the playoffs, to live up to the hype that's kind of around St. Louis."

Oshie will have a the opportunity to fulfill that hype playing alongside close friends Patrik Berglund and Stewart. The trio is expected to make up the Blues' second line this season, and they are going into it with a full head of steam ... and plenty of confidence.

"We feel like when we're on the ice together, we don't have to worry about who we're playing against," Stewart said. "I think it should be the other way around, you should be worried about us when we're on the ice. That's the whole approach to the air. We're not going to sit there and be passengers and look at other teams. It's our time now."

Oshie agrees.

"It's a deadly combination," he said. "I think it just comes down to building a little bit of chemistry and keep it going."

But being mentally ready for the challenges and physically up to par is what Oshie feels like will help him through a full season without any interruptions. He's ready for the task at hand.

"I'd say mentally it is for sure I'm as strong as I've ever been," Oshie said. "I'm definitely in the best shape. I'm the leanest I've been yet. It just comes down to getting through camp and showing what my summer was like."

Grachev gets a new lease with Blues

Russian hopes trade from Rangers parlays into job in St. Louis

By LOUIE KORAC
HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- There are times when a player just realizes one situation is not in their best interests and it's time to seek a new opportunity.

For the Blues' Evgeny Grachev, nothing could be further from the truth. One door closed and another one opened, and in this case, a new opening is just what the doctor ordered.

Grachev seemed to be pining away in the New York Rangers' minor league system when there was finally a ray of sunshine. The Blues saw something that they felt was intriguing enough to pull the trigger on a draft-day deal that brought the 21-year-old Khabarovsk, Russia native to St. Louis for the 72nd pick in this summer's draft.

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Evgeny Grachev is one of a number of players the Blues are looking at in

camp.

Now Grachev, who scored 40 goals in the Ontario Hockey League in 2008-09, will have an opportunity that the Rangers really never gave him: win a job in the NHL and validate his leaving his native country to play in North America.

"It's always something new, something exciting when you change the environment around you," Grachev said. "It's like a new start for me. I'm excited to be here. I don't know ... looking forward to training camp and I'll do my best to make this team."

Grachev did play in eight games with the Blueshirts last season. However, he was pointless and was a minus-3. He would never get back after being sent to Connecticut of the AHL, where Grachev scored 16 goals and added 22 assists in 73 games.

"I've been part of the Rangers' organization for three years. I guess it didn't work out for me the way I would have wanted it to work out," Grachev said. "But they drafted me and I just want to thank them for the opportunity they gave me.

"I'm just going to move on and hopefully become a part of this team. I don't think (the Blues traded for) me just as an AHL-AHL trade."

Indeed, as Davis Payne has placed Grachev on a line to open camp with David Backes and Jamie Langenbrunner. They will play together Tuesday in the exhibition opener against Tampa Bay. The Blues will give the big 6-foot-4, 224-pounder a chance to show just what he's got.

"The game is so much faster, with all the (rule) changes. Now it doesn't matter what your size is," Grachev said. "It's about how quick you can skate, how fast and changing direction. But yes, if you're big and you can skate, it's an advantage. I'm trying to use it to protect the puck in the corners and drive the net. I can't say I'm a big hitter, but for sure, if there's an opportunity to finish a check, I'm sure I'll do that."

Payne likes what he sees already.

"Size, skill, that big-body skill you saw down there at the end, when you've got two big bodies leaning on each other like that, the trench war gets a little bit interesting when you've got that kind of ability," Payne said. "He can get up and down the ice, handles the puck well, receives and shoots the puck well. It's going to be his abilities to take the opportunities in front of him and find a way to produce, find a way to defend correctly, find a way to play a physical game.

"In the end, he's a guy with size and ability to defend in an all-around game situation. I like his skating, I like his abilities to execute in some of those drills."

Before engaging in his first training camp with the Blues, Grachev returned to Russia to take part in the funerals of players involved in the tragic plane crash that took the lives of the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv hockey squad. Grachev, who played in Yaroslavl from 2005-2008, knew a number of the players.

"I had a lot of friends on that plane," Grachev said. "I thought I'd go back and support the families and say goodbye to all of those guys that were on the plane. I knew all the trainers and half of the team ... three or four were my good friends and one guy (Artem Yarchuk) was my best friend in the hockey world. We played together since we were 13.

"It wasn't fun. The city was dead for a few days. People wouldn't smile. There was no music in the restaurants. It changed a lot in the city. They don't have a team anymore. It's something you don't want to experience in your life. I can't even explain the emotions."

Grachev, whose English has been much better that teammate and fellow Russian Nikita Nikitin, admitted it wasn't an easy transition coming to North America but looked forward to the challenge.

"I learned English when I was about four years old, but it was just pronunciation," Grachev said. "Then in school, it was words. Here, I've just tried to pick it up. My first year in juniors, I didn't talk much. But you have to make an effort to learn the language. I watched cartoons or some TV shows. I messed up the words and guys made fun of me, but they helped me a lot, too. The last two years, I've been pretty comfortable with my English. It's not perfect, but I get along with it."

The Blues don't have many spots available among the 23 they will likely keep when they break camp. That means there are probably no more than two spots at the forward position up for grabs. Grachev will have as good a chance as any of the others that are battling and will battle right to the end.

"Hopefully they have some expectations for me," Grachev said, "and I expect they're going to give me a shot in training camp and see what happens."