You can probably expect the Blues to contend once again for the Western Conference title as Head Coach Ken Hitchcock will have his team ready and raring to go come opening night. They signed free agent C Paul Stastny to strengthen their team down the middle and decided to give Brian Elliott the chance to backstop the team on a full time basis. Will the subtractions and additions be enough to make it to the Cup Finals?  That's why they play the game. GOALIES There is no denying that Elliott possesses the talent to be a number 1 goaltender in the NHL, but it took a while for a team to finally give him that chance. All he has done while playing under Hitchcock is post GAA of 1.56, 2.28 and 1.96, so you can see he deserves the opportunity to carry the load.  The team has put so much faith in Elliott, that they let Jaroslav Halak walk and gave the backup role to Jake Allen. You too should put your faith in Elliott to carry your fantasy hockey team this season.  After all, he has performed consistently over the past few years. DEFENSE The Blues possess two solid offensive d-men in Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk, both capable of being any team's number 1 blueliner. They are so similar that you can call them 1A and 1B and both are entering their prime years at 24 and 25 respectively.  Jay Bouwmeester has been a nice addition the over the past two years and should contribute as well as provide solid defense in front of Elliott and Allen. Jordan Leopold and Carl Gunnarsson, coming over from Toronto in June, give the Blues solid, veteran depth on the back end. FORWARDS St. Louis can drive the fantasy poolie crazy with their depth of forwards and how Hitchcock rotates his lines so they stay fresh. One line will be hot for a 2-week stretch and then it's a different line taking over the offensive responsibilities, thereby keeping other teams on their heels.  Players like David Backes, T.J. Oshie, Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen, and Vladimir Tarasenko would be counted on more so on other teams than they are in Hitchcock's system, but it's this system that keeps all the forwards fresh throughout the long season. The addition of Stastny reinforces that depth and makes all the forwards legitimate candidates to get 50+ points across the board.  Steen had himself a career year where he eclipsed his previous high of 51 in 2010-2011 with St. Louis by 11 points. Perhaps a pullback to the 50+ range is more appropriate.  Also factoring into that equation might be the emergence of Schwartz and Tarasenko who just might be ready to carry more of the offensive load, if Hitchcock lets them loose. PROSPECTS The Blues have some young talent that is a few years away, but one prospect in particular is just itching to get a decent shot at making the club and that is RWer Ty Rattie. This kid can flat out score and it's only a matter of time before he is applying his talent at the NHL level.  With 347 points in 259 games with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL and then 31 goals to go along with 17 assists in 72 games with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, it won't be long. Overall Fantasy Outlook There can be some frustration when it comes to deciding which Blues' forwards to stick in your starting fantasy lineup, but it's becoming clearer that Steen, Oshie, Schwartz, Tarasenko and the 2 big defensemen in Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk are the offensive weapons that the Blues rely on, and so can you. Backes is perfect for those leagues that count multi-categories and should be high on your list. As far as how will their season end up? Well, let's just say it's another step toward the coveted Cup but once again fall short.