KEY ADDITIONS				KEY LOSSES
Name Roman Turek	Pos. G	From Stars		Name Terry Yake Grant Fuhr	Pos. F G	To Thrashers Flames

Outlook
Looking for a sleeper in the Western Conference this season? Search no further than the St. Louis Blues.

		Is Roman Turek their goalie of the future? Just having Grant Fuhr in the room was enough of a confidence booster for the Blues, but now when they look back, they will see a big, strapping left-hander who has won only 30 career NHL games. Will Pavol Demitra continue his All-Star offensive form after scoring 37 goals last season? They re-signed Pierre Turgeon after his gutty performance in the playoffs, while Scott Young and Scott Pellerin combined for 44 goals. There are no question marks on the blueline when Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger combine to play 60 minutes per game, unless you're worried about fatigue, a legitimate concern. The Blues will need more depth to complement these future Hall of Famers. The Blues need to improve their record at home, where they went 18-17-6. They were terrific on the road (19-15-7). They allowed the fewest shots on goal but still finished 14th in goals against, so the goaltending, behind Turek, will have to improve. They are not as strong as the top three in the West -- Detroit, Colorado and Dallas -- but are strong as far as fourth to sixth goes in the West. They will qualify for the playoffs for the 21st consecutive season.

The team from Missouri gave the eventual Cup-champion Dallas Stars a tough fight in the second round of the playoffs last spring - and they did it with a lot of rookies.

Coach Joel Quenneville has at least five young forwards -- Jochen Hecht, Michal Handzus, Jamal Mayers, Tyson Nash, and Lubos Bartecko -- who will see their fair share of ice time this season. In addition, rookies Reed Low and Dan Corson have an outside shot at sticking with the club.

Sprinkle in Pavol Demitra, Pierre Turgeon and Scott Young, and you have an intriguing offensive formula to work with.

The biggest question mark facing the Blues is whether forward Geoff Courtnall can bounce back from a concussion last season and play a full schedule. The veteran missed 58 games but is capable of scoring 30 goals if healthy - as well as being one of the biggest pests in the league.

Do the Blues rely on defensemen Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger too much? Consider this: Pronger led the NHL last season averaging over 30 minutes of ice time per contest. MacInnis ranked fourth. Enough said.

Those two are supported on defense by the likes of Jeff Finley, Chris McAlpine and Jamie Rivers. Not exactly an all-star cast, but with MacInnis and Pronger on the backline, what more does a team need? Don't expect any rookies to crack the lineup on defense -- at least early in the season.

There could be some adventure in store for Quenneville between the pipes this season. With Grant Fuhr dispatched to Calgary, the Blues will go with young Roman Turek, who was a backup in Dallas last season. Turek has impressed his teammates thus far and should see the bulk of the action. After all the dust settles, Jamie McLennan looks like Turek's backup.

The Blues should challenge Detroit for first place in the Central Division and could do some damage in the playoffs.

'98-99 CENTRAL STANDINGS
TEAM	W	L	T	Pts.
Detroit	43	32	7	93
St. Louis	37	32	13	87
Chicago	29	41	12	70
Nashville	28	47	7	63

The bottom line
Better or not: Better
How much: 3-5 more wins
Most improved: Pavol Demitra
Most valuable: Al MacInnis
Biggest disappointment: Scott Young

Charles Avellino is a lead NHL researcher for ESPN.