Frozen Ponderings

The Ducks are 1-8-3-1 since Paul Kariya broke his foot on Dec. 17. The good news is that Kariya has resumed skating. Anaheim also is missing Steve Rucchin (post-concussion syndrome) and Mike LecLerc (right knee). LecLerc was scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday. The Ducks have such little depth to begin with, and those three are arguably three of their top six forwards. Chicago is 9-2-2 in its last 13. The Hawks have three at home before an eight-game road trip at the end of the month, which could make or break the entire season. If that trip isn't daunting enough for the 19-20-4-2 Blackhawks, keep an eye on goalie Jocelyn Thibault, who has started 15 games in a row, and how the defense plays without injured defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, who has been one of their best defensemen. The talk is always how much stronger the Western Conference is ... and it is. But it looks like all 16 playoff teams might have winning records this season. As of Thursday, nine teams in each conference have records above .500. So, all those critics of how easy it is to make the NHL playoffs, check out the Eastern Conference in the NBA where the No. 8 seed (Indiana) is 18-21. It's too easy to rip the Panthers, but the numbers on this team are a bit astonishing. Through 46 games, they only have nine wins. Journalists don't do math well, but that can't be a good winning percentage.

Defenseman Jason York missed the lean years in Ottawa. In fact, York came on board in 1996, just in time for the Corel Center to open and for the Senators to make the playoffs.

So, he was the missing ingredient, right?

"Yeah, that's right," said York with a laugh as he recalls becoming a member of the Senators in early October, 1996. "I remember coming to camp -- I got traded from Anaheim -- and I didn't know what to think coming to Ottawa because of their bad record the year before (18-59-5).

"I remember Jacques (coach Jacques Martin) saying we wanted to get respect from the other teams in the league. We might not win every game, but he wanted to make sure other teams had to work to beat us. We didn't have the most talented team that year. When the second half started, we weren't even close to the playoffs but then went on a ridiculous run, and it was incredible how we snuck into the playoffs."

That run -- a 10-4-2 streak from March 10-April 12, 1996 that included a 3-2 road win over eventual Cup-winner Detroit -- proved to be the turning-point for the new franchise.

"After that year, the next year we came back and made our goals higher," York said.

The 30-year-old defenseman has been one of Ottawa's steadiest performers since his arrival, never playing fewer than 73 games in his four full seasons with the team. York isn't flashy, but he's the type of solid top-six blueliner that every playoff team covets. He's a pretty good passer who'll score occassionally and pitch in on the power play.

And most importantly, he's a calming veteran presence. Martin pointed out that with York recently out with the flu, "None of our defensemen were older than 25-years old."

York has been around long enough to see the Senators' steep improvement curve -- from 77 points in '96-97 to 103 two saeasons ago and 95 last year.

"The big reason for things getting better is that management has changed a lot, but the coaching staff has stayed in tact," said York of Martin and his staff. "They've installed a defense-first system, while at the same time you're seeing the offensive players shine. The big thing with us is making good decisions on the rush. You have to know when to dump and when to carry the puck. If you see four guys on the blue line, dump it in. If it's a 3-on-2, go wide.

"He (Martin) doesn't want us to dump it in all the time; he wants us to make plays."

The Senators neither score the most goals nor allow the fewest. But the team is a plus-34 in goal differential which is second in the East to New Jersey's 42 -- the Blues lead the NHL with an astonishing plus-57 (149 goals for, 92 against).

It's not ironic that New Jersey -- as well as Mario Lemieux's Penguins -- poses the biggest obstacle for York's Senators in the playoff.

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 Ed David, Clinton Township, Mich.: I know I'm a bit biased, but can anyone give me a solid reason that Steve Yzerman didn't make the All-Star team except for the fact that he has only played in about 22 games this year?

Response: Yzerman, obviously, is an All-Star caliber player, and it's true that he has quietly done an excellent job this season after missing all of November and most of October with injury.

In his 23 games, he has eight goals and 24 points.

But missing all that time is the main reason he wasn't named to the North American roster. Look at Jason Arnott for comparison. Because of a contract holdout, Arnott missed just as much time as Yzerman. And in his 23 games, Arnott has eight goals and 25 points. He's on the outside looking in as well. There are other players who are more deserving because they have played the whole season at a high level -- like Doug Weight (11-42-53). And don't forget, the North American roster is tougher to crack than that of the World team.

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