It’s a homecoming Tuesday for former Blues’ Stanley Cup champions Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn. Both are playing and thriving with the Seattle Kraken, who play St. Louis tonight at Enterprise Center.

This will mark the first game in St. Louis for Schwartz as a Seattle player. He signed with the Kraken in free agency after the 2020-21 season and was out with injuries for both Seattle games here last season.

Dunn went to Seattle in the expansion draft, and is flourishing in a top-pairing role on defense this season.

“(Schwartz) put in a long time here,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “Obviously was a real good player here. Great guy to be around. We all loved him and loved being around him. It’ll be exciting for him. It’ll be exciting for everybody, the fans, too.

“He was a big reason we won the Cup with his play. And like I said, any time you have a player like that – what he put into the organization and what he gave to the organization - which is a lot. And effort every night; we all know that with Schwartzy. It’ll be kind of cool to see him back here.”

Schwartz will be honored at some point during a break in tonight’s game. Dunn already got that treatment when he played here last season.

Dunn came out before the Blues’ morning skate Tuesday, and talked a bit with Jordan Binnington, Sammy Blais, Jordan Kyrou and others from the Seattle bench area. Berube even had a brief skate-by.

“I wasn’t sure if they were done hanging out,” Berube joked. “I wasn’t sure if maybe a couple of our guys wanted to go on the bench with him and chat some more and stuff. I guess things have changed over the years.”

Improved Kraken

Seattle comes to town just 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and riding a three-game losing streak. But they’re coming of age in this, their second season of existence, and are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

At 32-21-6 for 70 points, Seattle currently holds the second wild-card berth in the West, four points ahead of Calgary and with a game in hand on the Flames.

“The obvious thing is the pride that our group takes in being in this spot,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “I do believe that we recognize the opportunity that we have. We also recognize the challenge that lies ahead. . . .Now, we gotta step to that next challenge and elevate the level of our play to what’s necessary to be successful. Not just to be a playoff team but to be a playoff-ready team.”

Seattle ranks seventh in the NHL in goals per game (3.44) with a balanced scoring attack. The Kraken have a dozen players with at least 10 goals, led by Jared McCann’s 26. Defensively, they are allowing only 27.9 shots on goal per game by the opposition – the third-lowest total in the league.

When it comes to the struggling and trade-depleted Blues, Hakstol is taking nothing for granted.

“Make no mistake, this team here won a Cup very recently,” he said. “A lot of those guys are still in that room. Whatever a team’s going through, there’s a level of pride that comes to play.”

Back again

Nikita Alexandrov didn’t have time to unpack during his latest stint in Springfield. And he has yet to unpack now that he’s back in St. Louis.

That’s what you call a whirlwind existence. Alexandrov was scheduled to be in the Blues’ lineup for Saturday afternoon’s home game against Pittsburgh. However, that was before the Blues were awarded Kasperi Kapanen on waivers. They needed a roster spot once that happened, and Alexandrov – who’s waivers exempt – was sent back to Springfield.

“They just told me right after the (pregame) meeting that there were some roster changes, so I just left,” Alexandrov said. “I arrived Saturday (in Springfield) at midnight and had a 3 o’clock game. So I just went to bed right away. They told me after the game I’m coming back (to St. Louis) so I didn’t really have time to unpack.”

Alexandrov scored a goal in the Thunderbirds’ 5-2 victory over the Charlotte Checkers on Sunday, and then headed back to St. Louis. A roster spot was created with the Blues once Ivan Barbashev was traded. He arrived late Monday night in St. Louis. . .so that bag still isn’t unpacked.

When asked if he was in the lineup Tuesday against Seattle, Alexandrov replied: “I think so. Last game I thought I was in, too.”

It looks like he doesn’t have to sweat out this one. Berube confirmed after the morning skate that Alexandrov would be in tonight’s game with Seattle. He’ll be centering the fourth line.

Another Wichita exhibition

For the second year in a row the Blues will play a preseason game in Wichita, Kan., against the Arizona Coyotes. Next season’s contest is scheduled for Sept. 23 at INTRUST Bank Arena.

Last preseason, the Blues defeated Arizona 5-4 in the first NHL game to be played in Wichita, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of 8,500.

Ticket information will be released at a later date.

Blues’ projected lines

Forwards

Saad-Schenn-Kyrou

Kapanen-Thomas-Buchnevich

Toropchenko-Brown-Blais

Walker-Alexandrov-Pitlick

Defensemen

Leddy-Parayko

Scandella-Faulk

Krug-Tucker

Goalie

Binnington

Blues power play

PP1: Krug-Thomas-Kyrou-Buchnevich-Schenn

PP2: Faulk-Kapanen-Blais-Saad-Brown

Kraken projected lineup

Forwards

McCann-Beniers-Eberle

Tolvanen-Gourde-Bjorkstrand

Schwartz-Wennberg-Froden

Tanev-Geekie-Donato

Defensemen

Dunn-Larsson

Oleksiak-Borgen

Soucy-Schultz

Goalie

Jones