"Bo was a rangy player, had a great stick, could kill plays down low, a simple first-pass player," Armstrong said. "Marco's a good skater. I don't think he's an elite skater like Bo was in his prime or still was, but he has a powerful shot. We think right now with our players on the right side, whether (Scandella) plays with Alex (Pietrangelo), (Justin) Faulk or (Colton) Parayko, he's drawing a good card regardless of who he gets to play with. He was excited about that."
"I'm absolutely excited to come to St. Louis," Scandella said after Wednesday's optional practice. "Stanley Cup champs, what a city, what an organization. I played two playoff series against this team (with the Minnesota Wild) - (they're a) tenacious, hard-working team. To bring my energy, bring my game to this team, it's going to be really exciting for me."
Scandella has played in 51 games this season, starting with the Buffalo Sabres but most recently with the Montreal Canadiens. He has four goals and eight assists (12 points) this season to go along with a plus-10 rating.
The Montreal, Quebec native is a veteran of 10 NHL seasons, where he has posted 42 goals and 94 assists (136 points) over 569 games with the Wild, Sabres and Canadiens.
"I know what I have to do to be successful," Scandella said. "Just play a really good defensive game, help on the (penalty kill), do whatever I'm asked to do here and just do it with a smile on my face. I'm happy to be here, back in the Central, playing for the St. Louis Blues."
Scandella said he's familiar with several Blues already, including Ryan O'Reilly, Brayden Schenn, Alex Pietrangelo and Jake Allen. He knows David Perron, too, and that familiarity will make his transition to the Blues even easier.
"I feel like there's a lot of potential in this locker room," Scandella said. "I saw what happened last year, so I want to be part of that this year. Just to get the chance to make the playoffs and be part of that - just to be back in the race with a good team, I'm just excited.
"I'm smiling ear-to-ear."
