St. Louis Blues 2022-23 Preseason Line Combination Prediction

The St. Louis Blues are preparing for the new season. The biggest question is how the departure of David Perron will impact the team. Craig Berube needs to form the line combinations to keep the players in their proper positions. The team is not considered a Stanley Cup favorite, but they challenged the Colorado Avalanche more than any other team, despite being less talented.

The defensive combinations might be some of the easier ones to figure out. There will almost certainly be changes early in the season.

Torey Krug and Justin Faulk are the top defensive pairing. They are both physical and better than people give them credit for. Faulks scored 47 points last season, his second highest ever. Krug managed over 40 points despite missing 18 games.

Nick Leddy and Colton Parayko will form a solid defensive pairing. St. Louis Blues have the same preseason line combination as Jay Bouwmeester. The team needs to rely heavily on Paryko to be the team's best defender.

Marco Scandella and Mikkola are the only right-handed defenders in question. Robert Bortuzzo is the other right hander left.

The forward lines are where it gets interesting. Previous combinations are gone, forcing players that played well together to be separated or find chemistry with others.

Brayden Schenn, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou will form the Blues' top line in the 2022-23 season. Scenn would be better suited to play on the second line.

Pavel Buchnevich, Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko will form a line. O’Reilly hasn't played with Tar as much as he should. St. Louis Blues 2022-23 Preseason Line Combination Prediction.

Brandon Saad, Ivan Barbashev and Jake Neighbours will play on the third line. St. Louis Blues have a history of odd-matched third lines. JakeNeighbour is the biggest if. if he's ready for a top-six role on a sure-fire NHL playoff team.

Alexey Toropchenko, Logan Brown and Klim Kostin form the Blues' fourth line. Kstatin is the shortest player on the line, but he's a good fit for the position. The loss of Perron makes the lines a little harder to form, and it forces players to make new relationships.