"To borrow on a more profane expression, Scott Nichol is what you might call a perpetual shift-disturber.

That is, despite his diminutive size, the new Blue has made a career of disrupting opposing shifts, irritating other benches and energizing his own. The Blues got their first look at the kind of peskiness the 5-foot-9, 178-pound Nichol can perpetrate with his first exhibition appearance Tuesday at Minnesota.

When the games count and the shifts are genuine, coach Davis Payne plans to plug Nichol into a variety of roles, which includes pairing him with another mighty mite, 5-10, 183-pound Vlad Sobotka. The "Gnat Patrol" figures to include B.J. Crombeen, a 6-2, 215-pound winger who will look like Sasquatch by comparison.

"Neither (Nichol or Sobotka) plays to that size, they play bigger than their numbers say they are," Payne said. "That's what we like about both guys, they both compete hard and play an in-your-face game.

"Both are strong on faceoffs. Both can contribute well on the PK, provide a lot of energy and both have the ability to make some plays. For us to be able to rely on that part of our lineup to play special teams, we think, is very, very valuable. ... It makes everything a little higher quality.""