ST. LOUIS -- If this is the last roundup, Al MacInnis wants to go out in style.

The Blues' new captain is entering the final year of a three-year contract, he's 40, and the NHL is braced for labor difficulty after this season. So it's been assumed that this would be a natural finish line.

But he's in no hurry to put away the skates, especially after last season.

"I'll make a decision at the end of the year, hopefully mid-June sometime," MacInnis said. "I know I'm going to be asked that question a lot and I can't honestly say this is my last year.

"I don't want to think about it."

One reason: He's still at the top of his game. MacInnis's slap shot remains perhaps the most fearsome weapon in hockey, and last season he was a finalist for the Norris Trophy given to the league's top defenseman.

"He had an outstanding year," coach Joel Quenneville said. "I don't see a dropoff in his play at all. His conditioning levels are always strong, so I would expect Al to continue on the year he had last year."

Just as important for MacInnis, the season was a collective disappointment given the Blues' first-round playoff exit. That's a long ways from the Stanley Cup the franchise thought it could contend for.

"I firmly believe we have enough talent in here to win," MacInnis said. "We have to prove it, we have to prepare ourselves for the playoffs and not be making the same mistakes in February and March that we are in October and November."

MacInnis will have a lot to say on that subject during the season, which begins tonight at Phoenix, after fellow defenseman Chris Pronger relinquished the captaincy to him on the first day of training camp. Long an elder statesman, he's officially the leader of a team that struggled to make a dent in the postseason.

His message to the team: Don't worry about statistics, concentrate on doing everything the right way. The New Jersey Devils weren't impressive individually, but as MacInnis points out, they were fundamentally sound.

"Their top scorer, I don't know how many points he ended up with, but they didn't care," MacInnis said. "Sure they've got Marty Brodeur, but they never beat themselves."

Handing off the "C" might also give Pronger a boost in an effort to recapture his MVP form of three years ago. Pronger has struggled with a wrist injury that has necessitated several operations after getting struck by a puck in February 2002, and also is recovering from knee surgery.

"When he got hit, I don't think there was any question he was the best defenseman in the game, if not one of the top three or four players in the league," MacInnis said. "Game in and game out, he controlled the play, and he wants to get back to that point."

For the rest of the team, having a healthy Pronger more than makes up for a mostly quiet offseason. The Blues' big moves were re-signing goalie Chris Osgood and high-scoring forward Pavol Demitra.

"People say 'What did you do over the summer?"' forward Scott Mellanby said. "We got Pronger back, that's a pretty good acquisition."

Pronger and MacInnis are ice-time eaters, playing close to an hour combined when healthy. Add in Barret Jackman, the Calder Trophy winner as the rookie of the year, and the Blues' strength is decidedly on the back line.

The top offensive threats besides Demitra are centers Keith Tkachuk and Doug Weight, and the Blues are excited about rookie Petr Sejna, last season's Hobey Baker Award winner.

"Obviously every year, with the commitment ownership has made, we're one of those teams that going in you always feel you have a chance," Mellanby said. "It's a great position to be in."

The Blues' first three games and six of the first seven are on the road. The home opener is Oct. 18 against the Washington Capitals.