Ah, it’s great to be back in Scottrade Center for Day One of Blues training camp. Here are Hockey Guy’s impressions of how the team could shape up:

Darryl Sydor offers some Alex Pietrangelo insurance. If the former first-round pick doesn’t stand out, the Blues have protection. Does Sydor have anything left? He will be an interesting guy to watch.

Along those lines, Jonas Junland has showed up ready to work. Hockey Guy would like to see him earn a long preseason look and a shot to make the Top 7 — IF Pietrangelo doesn’t make his move. Andy Strickland wrote more about Junland in his Hockey Buzz blog.

But let us not forget that Pietrangelo should grow into a Top 4 defenseman in time. He is not developing as quickly as others in his draft class, but he has tremendous potential.

It’s a shame Lars Eller isn’t for the start of the festivities. Whatever chance he had to making the NHL quickly is disappearing. Let’s hope his misfortune since being drafted isn’t a precursor of what is yet to come. When he gets to Peoria, he needs to find restaurants with high-carbo menus. This kid needs to beef up, ASAP.

With Eller missing from action, Aaron Palushaj is the rookie forward most likely to make an early impact this season. He got a quick start to his preseason by tearing it up in Traverse City.

Chris Porter took a step back last season in Peoria, but the would-be power forward won the conditioning competition during his Saturday session. Perhaps this is a good sign for the season.

Big defenseman Brett Ponich has made strides with his skating, but NHL speedsters like Andy McDonald reminded him how much work is left to do. This project will take time.

It’ll be fun to see Paul Kariya back on the ice when he is 100 percent. Across the NHL, folks have forgotten about them. Will he do something about that? Or will he continue to miss time with one injury after another.

The Blues lost Trent Whitfield, so perhaps Derek Armstrong can fill that void as a leader at Peoria and fill-in for the Blues. But would he be willing to accept that role? It is hard to imagine him making the Blues opening night roster unless many injuries hit. Ryan Bayda is another potential depth guy who could really help Peoria.

It was interesting to see Mike Danton get paroled after telling Canadian officials that he wasn’t plotting to kill agent David Front, but his estranged father Steve Jefferson.

How many tough guys can the Blues keep? Cam Janssen’s skating/body checking ability makes him a better overall asset than D.J. King, but King is a real heavyweight. Should the Blues keep another penalty killer/checker instead, like Yan Stastny?

Amid all the good stories last season was Alex Steen’s so-so performance. He scored just six goals in 61 games after arriving from Toronto. Isn’t he capable of more? He scored 18, 15 and 15 goals during his first three NHL seasons.

He is a versatile and heady player, but . . .

Can Tyson Strachan fight his way in the Top 7 on defense? Don’t rule him out. He rose to the occasion when he got his shot, as B.J. Crombeen and Brad Winchester did up front, and he came to camp prepared to make a mark. The kid dropped his gloves as needed last season, which can’t be overlooked.

Hockey Guy can’t figure out why Hannu Toivonen came back. It’ll be nice to have another veteran at Peoria just in case — since Ben Bishop could continue playing in the AHL if either Chris Mason or Ty Conklin get hurt — but he is just insurance at this point.

Phil McRae is sure fun to watch. But it is important to move him along carefully, giving him a chance to dominate at every level up the ladder. When he makes it with the Blues, he needs to arrive as a confident scorer.

Will we ever seen Eric Brewer again? The Blues insist he is doing fine as he recovers from back and knee surgery. But he will continue training on his own until he is closer to 100 percent.

AROUND THE RINKS: Alexander Radulov is still playing in Russia, but he has some value to the Predators. The Tennessean suggested the rights to Radulov could help Nashville fetch Phil Kessel in a deal. The Bruins can’t afford to meet Kessel’s demands, given their cap restraints, and Radulov figures to return to the NHL some day. He has point-per-game potential . . . Dany Heatley didn’t want to go to Edmonton, but it appears Nikolai Zherdev is more willing. Mike Comrie ought to help the Oilers, too — if fans forgive him for his earlier issues with that franchise. With just a one-year deal for $1.25 million, he is trying to reestablish his market value . . . Will Mats Sundin play this season? He is playing his usual coy game, but a better question is this: Does any NHL team really believe he is still a top-line center? He was pretty unimpressive with the Canucks last season.