Blues forwards get makeover in offseason

The St. Louis Blues retooled their forward group following a sixth straight trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
They traded Ryan Reaves and Jori Lehtera, David Perron was selected in the NHL Expansion Draft, and Nail Yakupov left in free agency. St. Louis acquired Brayden Schenn to be its first- or second-line center and added grit by signing forward Chris Thorburn.

But perhaps the Blues' best offseason move was signing restricted free agent defenseman Colton Parayko, 24, to a five-year, $27.5 million contract July 20.
Here is what the Blues look like today:

Key arrivals

Brayden Schenn, F:Traded from the Philadelphia Flyers for Lehtera and two NHL Draft picks June 23, Schenn likely will center one of the top two lines for St. Louis. The 25-yea-old had 55 points (25 goals, 30 assists) in 79 games last season. His 17 power-play goals were tied for the NHL lead with Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning) and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, and his 28 power-play points were seventh. He's scored at least 20 goals in three of the past four seasons. ... Beau Bennett, F:Signed to a one-year, $650,000 contract as an unrestricted free agent July 1, Bennett, 25, had NHL career highs of eight goals and 19 points in 65 games for the New Jersey Devils last season. ... Chris Thorburn, F: Selected by the Vegas Golden Knights from the Winnipeg Jets in the expansion draft, Thorburn, 34, was not signed by Vegas and became an unrestricted free agent July 1, when he signed a two-year contract with St. Louis. Thorburn had four points (three goals, one assist), 95 penalty minutes and 90 hits in 64 games last season. ... Oskar Sundqvist, C:The 23-year-old signed a one-year, $650,000 contract July 1 after being acquired in the trade that sent Reaves to the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 23. Sundqvist was held without a point in 10 games for Pittsburgh last season and has a goal and three assists in 28 NHL games.

Key departures

David Perron, F: Selected by Vegas in the expansion draft, the 29-year-old had 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) in 82 games last season. ... Ryan Reaves, F:The 30-year-old had 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 80 games last season. Known as a physical presence, he led the Blues in penalty minutes (104) and hits (239). ... Jori Lehtera, F:Although Lehtera missed 18 games because of injuries and had his fewest goals (seven), assists (15) and points (22) in three NHL seasons, the 29-year-old was versatile for the Blues, playing wing and center, as well as both special teams. ... Nail Yakupov, F: The Colorado Avalanche signed Yakupov to a one-year contract July 4 after the Blues declined to give him a qualifying offer. Selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, the 23-year-old had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 40 games last season, his first in St. Louis. ... Scottie Upshall, F:He played 73 games last season, mostly on the fourth line, and had 18 points (10 goals, eight assists). The 33-year-old is an unrestricted free agent.

On the cusp

Jordan Schmaltz, D: He played nine NHL games last season and had two assists and four penalty minutes. Selected with the No. 25 pick in 2012, the 23-year-old had 25 points (three goals, 22 assists) in 42 games for Chicago in the American Hockey League and could challenge for a spot on the opening night roster. ... Klim Kostin, F:The top-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting heading into the 2017 NHL Draft, Kostin was selected by the Blues with the No. 31 pick and signed a three-year, entry-level contract July 5. Kostin, 18, played professionally in Russia last season, including eight games with Moscow Dynamo of the Kontinental Hockey League. ... Adam Musil, F:Selected in the fourth round (No. 94) in the 2015 NHL Draft, he increased his point total each of the past four seasons for Red Deer in the Western Hockey League. The 20-year-old had 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) last season.

What they still need

Someone to fill in for forward Patrik Berglund. Berglund (6-foot-4, 223 pounds) will miss the first two months of the season because of a shoulder injury. He provides a physical presence and was second on the Blues in hits (155) and third among forwards in blocked shots (42) last season. He also took and won the second-most faceoffs for St. Louis (584-for-1169, 50 percent).
The Blues also need forward
Alexander Steen
to be fully recovered after he broke his foot in the playoffs. He is expected to be ready for training camp. Steen was third on the Blues in points last season (51). He averaged 2:54 of power-play ice time (third among Blues forwards) and 1:51 of shorthanded ice time per game (second).

Fantasy focus

The Blues have as much depth at left wing as any team in the League with Schenn, Steen, Jaden Schwartz and Robby Fabbri. At least one of those players will need to transition to center this season and the obvious candidate is Schenn. He's a lock for a top-six and first power-play role this season, and could even get a trial as the No. 1 center alongside Vladimir Tarasenko if Paul Stastny deals with injuries again. Even if your league doesn't count hits (Schenn had 189 last season, tied for 19th among NHL forwards), he is a top-100 fantasy asset (No. 92 in NHL.com's rankings).