When it comes to holdouts who are restricted free agents, the player is relatively powerless in the process if he doesn't want to play for his former team. Negotiations cannot begin before a deal is done, and all trade negotiations go through the team.

	Peca

Eric Lindros is trying to supercede it all and be more powerful by dictating where he wants to play. He's learning that doesn't work either.

Instead of saying there's only one team he wants to play for, Mike Peca says there's only one team he won't play for -- the Buffalo Sabres. Even with 29 options, he's still in a holding pattern, waiting for something to happen.

Whether or not Mike Peca plays this season is entirely up to Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier.

There has been no contact recently, Peca's agent Don Meehan said, "but loads of teams have been in touch with them."

Nabokov's (in)consistency

	Nabokov

Evgeni Nabokov officially is the goalie of the present for the San Jose Sharks after Steve Shields was shipped to Anaheim.

Ironically, Nabokov has been struggling -- more so than he has all season.

In his last three starts, Nabokov has a 3.36 GAA and .892 save percentage. Because of his previously outstanding performance, his season-long numbers (2.15, .917) remain strong.

"Probably, the last two months (he's battled) consistency," coach Darryl Sutter said. "When you're in a dogfight for a playoff position or a division position, you really need a goalie to step forward. And his record has been up and down."

One problem Nabokov has had is allowing early goals. Tampa Bay scored at 5:05 into of the first period of Tuesday's game. On Saturday, Boston scored 52 seconds in. And last Thursday, Alexei Yashin scored 1:08 into Ottawa's 8-4 shellacking of the Sharks.

"I have to be better at the beginning of games," Nabokov said.

A snowball's chance in...
Sometimes, a home game isn't much of an advantage.

Because of the storm covering the Northeast region, the Bruins were forced to take an early morning train after Monday night's game in Philadelphia. The players arrived in Boston around noon on Tuesday and played Buffalo later that evening.

Meanwhile, the Sabres had arrived in Boston before the storm intensified and were rested.

The Sabres won, 3-1.

Back in the old days
One of the major topics of discussion at the GM meetings in California is the speed of the game -- and the number of stoppages.

Of course, before television, games went by much more quickly. But TV timeouts aren't going anywhere, so other options need to be pursued.

Bruins GM Mike O'Connell remembers the days in between eras when a team might play on television one night but not on another. One game would be 30 minutes or so shorter than the other.

"You had to be in better shape back then because those artificial breaks weren't there," O'Connell said.

Mailbag
During the season, questions from ESPN.com users will be answered. Got a question? Click here and ask away.

Question from Bryce McKinnon from Victoria, British Columbia: Do you think the Canucks are a viable threat in this year's playoffs, and will their success continue next year and beyond?

Response: The Canucks are in a good, but difficult position. They are not quite up there with the Colorados and Detroits of the NHL world, yet the Canucks are a sure-fire playoff team. GM Brian Burke won't make any major trades because the team is still young, and there isn't pressure to win the Cup this year. Making the playoffs and playing well in the postseason is enough progress to keep the fans happy. Vancouver might put a scare in an elite team, but with Bob Essensa and Dan Cloutier in net -- along with some depth deficiencies -- it's difficult to see the Canucks going too far.

The Canucks only have one pending unrestricted free agent (Murray Baron), and there's little doubt that if Burke keeps building and bringing along the younger players, the Canucks have a bright future, at least through next season.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.