Coach Ken Hitchcock confirmed Thursday that Elliott will open the season as the No. 1 goaltender for the Blues, NHL.com's Lou Korac reports.

Coach Ken Hitchcock confirmed Thursday that Elliott will open the season as the No. 1 goaltender for the Blues, NHL.com's Lou Korac reports.

Analysis:

Elliott's appointment to the No. 1 spot was rather obvious after the Blues let Ryan Miller walk in the offseason, instead re-signing Elliott to a three-year deal. After Elliott competed with for the starting job with the since-departed Jaroslav Halak the last couple of seasons, Hitchcock said that Elliott earned the opportunity to open the campaign as the unquestioned starter based on his substantial improvement in 2013-14. The 29-year-old may not see the workload of some of the league's top netminders with top prospect Jake Allen lurking behind him on the depth chart, but thanks to an elite offense and defense to support him, Elliott figures to produce outstanding numbers on a per-game basis. In his 31 appearances last season, he delivered a 18-6-2 record, 1.96 GAA and .922 save percentage.