Frozen Ponderings

When Mario Lemieux played his first game on Dec. 27, Matthew Barnaby was still serving a suspension for an altercation with a fan. During the 5-0 win over Toronto, Tie Domi was looking for a fight and finally goaded Jiri Slegr to drop the gloves. Afterward, when asked if he would have stepped up and fought Domi, Barnaby replied with his usual unpredictability: "I don't fight anymore. Costs too much money." Including the $53,658.54 he paid during his recent suspension, Barnaby has forfeited more than $100,000 in fines the last two years. Word out of the Phoenix locker room is that things between Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick aren't as bad as most reports. They both are competitive, have egos and are leaders ... and have distinct personalities. That leads to some interesting situations but doesn't necessarily mean they hate each other. To this point last season, the Thrashers averaged about 2.2 goals per game. To date, Altanta has scored better than 2.8 a game, which is a huge difference. The major reason is the Andrew Brunette-Ray Ferraro-Donald Audette line. In December, the three combined for 18 goals and 59 points in 15 games. Forget expansion, that places them up there with the most productive lines in the entire NHL.

When a player cuts ties with the NHL and heads to Europe, that usually hints of a career downside – that the player couldn't find an NHL job and likely wouldn't ever return.

But Wes Walz, who disappeared to Switzerland for four years, is back in the NHL. And although it's with the expansion Wild, he doesn't come close to resembling a fringe guy. It's not like he's tearing it up, but his eight goals are just three shy of his NHL career high – he scored 11 in 53 games for Calgary in 1993-94 – and coach Jacques Lemaire puts him up against the opponents' top line every game.

Then, why did he leave when it seems obvious he's an NHL caliber player?

"Money wasn't a huge issue with me leaving. It was more of a principle thing," he said. "I was in Detroit and was getting tired of getting called up and down, not knowing where I was day-to-day. It was time for me to go somewhere else to play. I decided to go to Europe and see how it went.

"When you get over there for a little while, you think you'll never get an opportunity to come back to the NHL. I didn't think there would be an opportunity and that people would forget about me, but I got a call from Doug Risebrough to see if I was interested. It had to be financially worth my while. ... I never had a one-way deal, so there was no way I was coming back unless it was a one-way deal."

So, now Walz is back in the NHL. When he left, he was an undersized but fast center in a league getting bigger and bigger all the time. Guys still seem to be pretty big in today's NHL, but there are a lot more Wes Walz-type players in the league today, compared to when he left. Some of that's expansion, and some is a change in style of play. After being away for so long, Walz has a unique perspective on the game's evolution.

"There's not a lot of difference on the ice," he said. "One thing that I've really noticed is that guys are in much better shape than they used to be. I never would have seen what I saw in training camp.

"There's definitely more speed in the game than I saw four or five years ago – not seeing as much clutching and grabbing. I remember going to the net and getting absolutely abused and there'd be no call or you had to jump around and act dead to get one. Guys are more accountable and go to the box, now. That makes the GMs and coaches think more about who to put on the ice. A guy who is a step or two slow might end up having to take a penalty.

	Walz first broke into the NHL with Boston during the '89-90 season.

An older, more mature Walz has been one of the pleasant surprises that has helped the Wild to a respectable 12-17-8-2 mark, including a 4-0-3 stretch heading into Friday's game against Detroit.

"I think he's definitely been one of our MVPs," said teammate Scott Pellerin. "His stats aren't too high up there, but he plays the top lines every night, and he's been doing an unbelievable job. To make that transition – going away and coming back – is a credit to him and his ability."

Expansion teams usually are lunch-pail teams, with a locker room full of players who haven't had too much success or playing time in the NHL. In Minnesota's case, that's proven to be a tremendous positive.

"I think everyone on our team has bought into the system that was put in place at the beginning of the season," Walz said. "I also think we have 25 guys all in similar siuations, mainly just depth players on other teams. We've really come together, and no one thinks they're better than anyone else."

Walz is one of those 25, and because he's accepted his role and sacrificed some offensive numbers to try and shut down the other teams' top guns, he's considered a reliable veteran – a far cry form a guy who only played two NHL games during his last full season in North America ('95-96).

"We gave him a role, and he wants to do it and do it well," said Lemaire.

"He could have played in the NHL at any time."

Lemaire knows that. Now, so does the rest of the NHL.

Mailbag
During the season, I'll try to answer a question or two from ESPN.com users for every edition of In the Corners. If you want to get a question answered, click here and ask away.

Question from Ben of Godfrey, Ill.: Are the Blues trying to acquire anybody before the trading deadline, or do they feel comfortable with the team they have now? If they are trying to make a trade, who do they have a chance of getting? Maybe Rob Blake?

Response: The Blues likely would prefer to add a power forward and a top-six defenseman. The problem, however, is that 29 other teams want the same thing. Of course, few teams have a minor-league system as stocked with talent. There's no doubt the Blues have enough to make a major trade, but GM Larry Pleau has said he won't mortgage the future.

It might be a stretch to expect Pleau to "rent" a player like Blake, and it's doubtful he could sign Blake long-term because he already has double-digit millions tied up in Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger. Keith Tkachuk is a player the Blues would love to have, but if the Rangers want him as bad as everyone says they do, Pleau won't outbid Rangers GM Glen Sather.

Look for the Blues to go after a top-tier forward and a second-tier -- but highly competent -- defenseman. But don't expect it to happen soon.

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