Scheduled lineup: October 8th in Seattle

It's been five and a half months since the St. Louis Blues have played a meaningful hockey game – but that changes on Tuesday afternoon.

The Blues will open the 2024-25 season with a three-game road trip beginning Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. CT in Seattle (ESPN, 101 ESPN).

Because of the early start time, the team did not host a morning skate at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday, but Blues head coach Drew Bannister held a final tune-up practice Monday afternoon.

Based on this practice, it appears that Bannister's lineup will be an exact replica of last Thursday's preseason game against the Dallas Stars – a match that resulted in a 4-3 overtime win for St. Louis.

“I thought the longer the game went on, the guys got more comfortable together and we started to have some success in the middle of the second (period) and the third period,” Bannister said after practice Monday. “Right now with our lineup and the way the lines are, we’ll probably keep the status quo and keep working with it to see how it works.”

That means newcomers Dylan Holloway (Edmonton) and Alexandre Texier (Columbus) would step into top-six roles, especially with Brandon Saad remaining in St. Louis awaiting the birth of his third child.

“I think we want to give (Holloway and Texier) a chance and see where they fit in,” Bannister said. “I think at the moment both players played well in training camp and we want to give them the opportunity to play in the top six and make it happen. Of course, with Saad coming back after the road trip, that will change too. But right now we’re just concentrating on our game on Tuesday.”

Other new additions to the lineup include Mathieu Joseph, who skated on the third line Monday alongside Brayden Schenn and Kasperi Kapanen. Radek Faksa, who joined the team via an offseason trade from Dallas, will center the fourth line.

New additions to the defense include Philip Broberg, acquired via an offer from Edmonton, and veteran Ryan Suter, who will play in career game No. 1,445.

Jordan Binnington is expected to start in goal.

“I think we’re at a point now where we’re ready to get started,” Bannister added. “I think the boys are excited about the team, our lineup and the changes we’ve made. I'm looking forward to watching the boys play. It seems like it's been a long time. Guys are focused on making things happen. It’s going to be an exciting time for our boys.”