MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues practiced Wednesday with as much of their opening night lineup as possible, with a few exceptions, and the purpose was to get it ready with the regular season opener just over a week away on Oct. 9 at home against the Minnesota Wild.
But the first practice group will be one that is utilized on Thursday when the Blues play the second-to-last preseason game, and last home preseason game, against the Ottawa Senators.
“Not definitively but like 95 percent of it, yes,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said.
Jake Neighbours and Alexey Toropchenko each was left off the top group with what Montgomery called general soreness. Neighbours in fact skated with the extra group following the main group, but Toropchenko, who toe-picked in the first period and fell hard backside into the boards, did not skate.
“We’ve got to get the continuity of our lines and everybody being together,” Montgomery said. “The last two home games, we had the (Robert) Thomas power play unit playing and last game we had the (Dylan) Holloway-(Jordan) Kyrou unit playing together and we wanted to give them both most of the power play time and tomorrow night, we’ll do our usual one minute, one minute. We’re not getting a lot of power plays but that seems to be the way the league is going.”
Neighbours would have been slotted alongside Brayden Schenn, but it was Mathieu Joseph there on Wednesday, with Nick Bjugstad, a center by trade but someone versatile to play either spot, on the right wing, a position the Blues are eager to see someone grab.
“All along, we were going to play him a couple games at center, a couple games at wing,” Montgomery said of Bjugstad. “That was part of it. We’ve been putting everybody there kind of-sort of with Schenn and Neighbours; he’s a little sore today so we didn’t put him out there, but he usually would be playing.”
The job seems wide open.
“Until we find one,” Montgomery said. “I think players have had good moments, players have had off moments, so to answer your question, I don’t think anyone’s clearly grabbed it, no.”
Bjugstad, signed to a two-year, $3.5 million contract on July 1, doesn’t mind whatever spot the Blues put him.
“I told them I’m comfortable at either spot,” Bjugstad said. “It depends on how the lineup’s sitting, what the needs are obviously from that standpoint. For me, I’ve done enough of both at this point. Center is the natural. That’s what I grew up playing obviously and was drafted us, but I don’t know. I’m indifferent I’d say on wherever I’m at. I’ll go wherever. I made that clear I’m just trying to help the team. Wherever that is, whatever that fit is, I’ll do it.”
Bjugstad has played in two preseason games, and although it’s been more bottom of the lineup with younger linemates, there seemed to be more offensive bite Wednesday.
“I thought he was good out there,” Montgomery said. “I noticed a lot more offensive plays happening. Now maybe that’s because he was with Schenn, I don’t know. But it seemed like he was involved with a lot more offensive opportunities.
“He made a high-end pass on the one drill that we did where he toe-dragged and went backhand to the backdoor to ‘Snuggy’. Those are the kind of plays I hadn’t seen before, so it looks like he’s pretty comfortable at right wing. I talked to him before training camp began and he said he’s comfortable at center or right wing.”
If the Blues can get Bjugstad
Also a versatile choice: Oskar Sundqvist, who has experience at either center or wing. Sundqvist was centering Milan Lucic and Nathan Walker on Wednesday.
“He’s an option,” Montgomery said. “We know he can play there. His defensive stick is so good down low and he covers over for people. It’s hard to get away from him being there as a coach.”
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Don’t discount the seventh defensive spot being an open competition this late into camp.
And it’s Hunter Skinner that’s making things very interesting for Matthew Kessel, the assumed seventh D-man heading into training camp.
“Everything’s a battle. It’s training camp,” Montgomery said. “The people that go out and grab it, it’s like third-line right wing, have we had someone grab it yet? No, so that’s why we’re continuing to look at people. We know what our top six is going to look like. We know what our top eight’s going to look like.”
As for Kessel?
“He’s had some really good moments," Montgomery said. “Last night, I thought he was good red line in. I thought red line towards our net, there were sometimes he could have made more assertive, more aggressive plays to end plays, and that’s something I feel has been Kessel’s issue, probably why he’s been in and out of the lineup is because of that. He’s a great kid, he’s working on it and he continues to work hard. He’s doing a good job.”
We know who will not be starting here. Not this season, anyway, is 2023 first-round pick (No. 29 overall) is Theo Lindstein, who is playing in North America for the first time. The lefty will be Springfield-bound at some point.
“This is a tough situation,” Montgomery said. “When you come over for your first time, you’re in your first (season), not only is he getting used to the pace of play and smaller rink, but he’s getting used to living in North America for the first time. So there’s a lot going on. I think he’s had days where he’s been really good and he’s had days where he looks, I don’t know if overwhelmed is the right word, but he looks like a deer in headlights at times because there’s a lot being thrown at him.”
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