Heading into the 2023-24 season, it would've been a bold statement to say Robert Thomas would score 19 more points than second place on the St. Louis Blues at the end of the season. However, that's exactly what happened.

The St. Louis Blues opened the preseason with a 2-1 loss against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Saturday. The Blues, who will take a new group to Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday to take on the Utah Hockey Club, had some moments in the game that they can take away well.

The NHL requires teams to have at least eight “veteran” players on the roster for every preseason game, though the requirements to consider someone a veteran are pretty loose. The word around the rink is that most of the stars will stay home on Sunday and be ready to go for the club’s first-ever game at the Delta Center.

First look at Mathieu, P.O. Joseph, each acquired by St. Louis in offseason; Buchnevich, Neighbours headline first look at Blues lineup for 2024-25