JOHNSON

They insist they're Cup contenders. Are they trying to convince us or themselves? Their future-is-now experiment blew up in Round 2, so now, instead of promising-up-and-comers replacing unrestricted free agent forward Scott Young (to Dallas) and injured defenseman Chris Pronger, they have journeymen forwards Steve Dubinsky and Jason Dawe, and defenseman Tom Koivisto. Goalie Brent Johnson was impressive against Chicago in Round 1, so-so against the champs.

	The Big Question
	Q: Same question, different year: Is Johnson really the man? A high ankle sprain has slowed Brent Johnson's training camp, while Fred Brathwaite isn't eager to simply hand over the job. Is Johnson the guy? He has to continue to improve his attention to detail in order to be recognized as a dependable and top-flight goaltender at this level. He showed great composure against the Blackhawks in the first round, becoming the first goalie in history to record his first three playoff victories all as shutouts. But look for Brathwaite, who trained extremely hard this summer, to push Johnson for the No. 1 spot. Both goaltenders are great at handling the puck and that will certainly help with Chris Pronger out until possibly the New Year with knee and wrist surgeries in the offseason. Everyone will underestimate the Blues. I won't. Doug Weight will bounce back, while Keith Tkachuk is signed to a long-term deal. On the bench, Joel Quenneville added Don Lever to his staff and that always adds a different view, especially if things ideas were getting stale for this team with high expectations. -- Darren Pang
	Good: Injuries mean opportunity, and what's bad for a team isn't necessarily bad for fantasy owners. St. Louis will miss Chris Pronger, out until at least December, but his absence creates more playing time for other defensemen. Alexander Khavanov is the most offensively-minded one of the bunch, outside of Al MacInnis, but rookie Barret Jackman could surprise. Bad: Brent Johnson hung around enough games to win 34 games last season, but his other stats were far from impressive. He'll have some fantasy value as long as he's in St. Louis, but the Blues seem perpetually eager to consider other options. -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Tom Koivisto, D An average junior player who excelled in Finland, Koivisto is not large but skates well and handles the puck well. He looked very sharp in early exhibition games.
	Minors Outlook
	Worcester IceCats Past playoff disappointments have convinced the parent Blues to add some veterans, but the IceCats may have to do without their two top scorers from last season, MVP Eric Boguniecki and Justin Papineau. Still, it should be a formidable roster. -- Bill Ballou

Forwards Though the Blues have some of the league's top offensive players in Keith Tkachuk, Pavol Demitra and Doug Weight, they have more grinders than finishers. Also, the situation at center is up in the air. If Doug Weight can't find a niche, the Blues may keep Demitra, a natural winger, between Tkachuk and Scott Mellanby. Czech import Petr Cajanek has the skills to contribute offensively and on the penalty kill, but he'll have to make the adjustment to the North American game to be effective. Jamal Mayers (9 goals, 97 penalty minutes), Dallas Drake (11, 87), Tyson Nash (6, 98), Sjon Podein (8, 41) heck, even Mellanby (15, 93) - muckers one and all. Feeling one team can never have enough, the Blues added Steve Dubinsky (6, 14) in the offseason. Western Conference Position Ranking: T6th Defensemen The absence of Chris Pronger leaves a substantial hole in the Blues defense. Though he turned 39 over the summer, Al McInnis is still one of the league's top all-around defensemen. Jeff Finley is a reliable, disciplined defender who fits nicely in the Blues system. Beyond them, the Blues are stocked with mobile defensemen - Bryce Salvador, Mike Van Ryn, Alexander Khavanov, Barret Jackman and Tom Koivisto - but each of them come with their own drawbacks (i.e. not physical enough, not fast enough, not consistent enough). Western Conference Position Ranking: 10th Goalie Brent Johnson qualifies as a No.1 goaltender by virtue of his statistics, but he has yet to turn in a performance to inspire his teammates - we're talking snatching a win from the jaws of defeat, not three shutouts in the playoffs against an impotent Blackhawks team. Fred Brathwaite may be a bit unorthodox, but he outplayed Johnson in stretches last season. Combined, the pair doesn't crack the top echelon of the West. Western Conference Position Ranking: T9th

Rankings: T8th Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 43-27-8-4, 98 points Rank: 6th overall 4th West 2nd Central Playoffs: Lost to DET in West semis Home: 27-12-1-1 Road: 16-15-7-3 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 227/2.77 (12th) Home: 126/3.07 (7th) Road: 101/2.46 (18th) POWER PLAY Overall: 17.4/62-356 (7th) Home: 20.9/38-182 (2nd) Road: 13.8/24-174 (17th) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 188/2.29 (5th) Home: 90/2.20 (8th) Road: 98/2.39 (7th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 85.2/56-379 (14th) Home: 84.6/27-175 (18th) Road: 85.8/29-204 (8th) STATS LEADERS GOALS Keith Tkachuk (38) Pavol Demitra (34) Cory Stillman (22) ASSISTS Demitra (43) Chris Pronger (40) Tkachuk (35) Al MacInnis (35) POINTS Demitra (77) Tkachuk (73) Doug Weight (49) PENALTY MINUTES Reed Low (158) Pronger (120) Tkachuk (115) PLUS/MINUS Pronger (+23) Tkachuk (+21) Weight (+20) GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Brent Johnson (2.18) SAVE PERCENTAGE Johnson (.902) Fred Brathwaite (.902) * - no longer with team