Good question, in case you haven't read my Preseason Predictions, here was my analysis of the Blues:
"I wasn’t high on the Blues even before all these injuries. I don’t have much faith in Mike Yeo as a coach, but St. Louis is one of the non-playoff teams that could prove me wrong. The Blues are still going to be fairly deep and if Jake Allen picks up where he left off in the second half of last season, especially in the playoffs, St. Louis isn’t going to be a pushover. Even in the toughest division in hockey — yes, I feel the Central is now tougher than the Metro by the slightest of margins — the Blues might be able to exceed expectations again. Remember, this is a team that was supposed to fall off a cliff after trading Kevin Shattenkirk, yet managed to get better down the stretch. That was largely thanks to Allen, but the jury is still out on whether he’s blossoming into an elite starter. I’m not sold on Allen or St. Louis."
So, in short, I had concerns about coaching, goaltending, injuries and a perceived lack of puck-moving defencemen/Shattenkirk replacement. Obviously, the Blues are proving me wrong and looking like the team to beat in the West thus far.