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1999-2000 Stat Leaders Stat  Leader  No.  Goals  Pavol Demitra  28  Assists  Chris Pronger  48  Points  Pavol Demitra  75  +/-  Chris Pronger  48  Shots  Al Macinnis  245  Ice Time (F)  Michal Handzus  17:43  Ice Time (D)  Chris Pronger  30:14  Faceoff Pct.  Ron Sutter  54.79%  Hits  Tyson Nash  193  PP Pts  Chris Pronger  26  SH Pts  Michael Handzus  6

It has been said that one must endure pain before reaping reward. By NHL standards, the New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings would epitomize that credo. All climbed the proverbial mountain to the Stanley Cup, only to be dealt a crushing blow before finally winning.

Are the Blues in that category? This year they'll find out. Coming off an abysmal collapse in the first round of the playoffs, St. Louis is determined to prove last year was an aberration. "I think everybody learned something," said goalie Roman Turek. "It can't happen again."

Under Joel Quenneville, the winner of the Jack Adams award as the league's best coach, the Blues kept the core of their team intact. The loss of speedy penalty killer Scott Pellerin to the expansion draft will hurt some, but the additions of F Dallas Drake, D Sean Hill, F Reid Simpson and up-and-comer D Mike Van Ryn more than offset Pellerin's departure.

Once again, St. Louis will challenge for the Central Division crown. To reach the Stanley Cup finals they'll have to first exorcise last year's demons, then get by familiar adversaries Colorado, Dallas and/or Detroit.

For more on the Blues, bookmark this page and check back Wednesday, Oct. 11 for a Sports Illustrated Scouting Report.

BRIGHT SPOTS		GRAY AREAS
Chris Pronger's age. The Hart and Norris Trophy winner will turn 26 at season's start, meaning he's only going to continue to get better. The defensive tandem of Pronger and 37-year-old Al MacInnis. When Pronger won the Norris Trophy last season, it marked the second time in NHL history that two different defenseman from the same team won the award in back-to-back years. Depth up front. Lubos Bartecko, Michal Handzus and Jamal Mayers can be trusted in any situation, and the pesky Tyson Nash knows precisely how to get under other players' skin. Quenneville's strategic mind. It took until the playoffs for an opponent (San Jose Sharks) to neutralize St. Louis' bang-it-up-the-boards breakout play, which utilized team speed. Quenneville is an innovator and will adjust.		Psychological torment. The Blues must battle through 82 games and remind themselves of what was lost last season. They need Pierre Turgeon to stay healthy. He hasn't played a full season since 1995-96 (with the Canadiens). Depth at defense. After the top four of Marc Bergevin, Hill, MacInnis and Pronger, the Blues are thin. Jeff Finley and Todd Reirden are adequate, but the Blues need more should MacInnis or Pronger go down. He said repeatedly that he could handle playoff pressure, but Turek didn't play well against the Sharks. His 2.75 GAA and .882 save percentage in the playoffs weren't close to the 1.95 GAA and .912 save percentage he posted during the regular season.

Comings
Player	Pos.	From	Via
Dallas Drake	RW	Columbus	Free agent
Mike Eastwood	C	St. Louis	Re-signed
Sean Hill	D	Carolina	Free agent
Brent Johnson	G	St. Louis	Free agent
Reed Low	LW	St. Louis	Free agent
Chris Murray	RW	Dallas	Free agent
Tyson Nash	LW	St. Louis	Re-signed
Todd Reirden	D	St. Louis	Re-signed
Dwayne Roloson	G	Columbus	Free agent
Bryce Salvador	D	St. Louis	Re-signed
Reid Simpson	LW	Tampa Bay	Free agent
Mike Van Ryn	D	New Jersey	Free agent

Goings
Player	Pos.	To	Via
Sylvain Blouin	LW	Montreal	Free agent
Jim Campbell	RW	Montreal	Free agent
Kelly Chase	RW	Retired
Bryan Helmer	D	Vancouver	Free agent
Derek King	F	Ottawa	Free agent
Jamie McLennan	G	Minnesota	Expansion
Scott Pellerin	F	Minnesota	Expansion
Ricard Persson	D	Ottawa	Free agent
Stephane Richer	RW	Washington	Free agent

Prospect Watch
Mike Van Ryn, D, 6'2", 195
Born: May 14, 1979
Acquired: Signed as a free agent in 2000
After using a loophole to part ways with the New Jersey Devils, the highly touted Van Ryn took his services to St. Louis. He was an exceptional two-way defenseman at the University of Michigan, able to join the rush or play strong defense. Scouts peg him as a No. 1 or No. 2 defenseman

Get the Highlighter
Thurs., Oct. 5 at Phoenix: Season gets underway with a four-game West Coast trip that starts against Coyotes.
Fri., Oct. 6 at San Jose: The Blues had a long summer to wait for this: their first meeting with the Sharks.
Tues., Oct. 17 at Detroit: First divisional showdown with rival Red Wings. Is there still something to prove?
Thurs., Jan. 25 vs. New Jersey: Meeting with Devils should conjure up more negative feelings about last season. Bottom line: New Jersey has what the Blues think should be theirs.
Sat., April 7 vs. Nashville: Final regular season game against Predators is nothing more than a nuisance.

Quoteworthy
"The sick feeling I had after that loss, I don't want to experience that again. I know that the fans don't deserve to experience that again. And neither do the players."
--Owner Bill Laurie on last season's playoff debacle

Team-by-team previews compiled by CNNSI.com's Ken Klavon, Jamie MacDonald and Jimmy Traina.

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