Frozen Ponderings

Because of all the more plausible trade rumors, some of the Eric Lindros talk has subsided. The best piece of advice? Let is pass for this season. The worst thing Lindros could do is return from such a long layoff at the season's most intense juncture. It's just asking for trouble. Reach a compromise this offseason and report to camp when everyone is playing catch-up with speed and timing. That is the best scenario for Lindros, the league and whichever team trades for him. Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur said with confidence over All-Star break that, even though it's a mini-nightmare, allowing a lot of goals in the All-Star Game doesn't carry any residual effects when the regular-season resumes. Perhaps, Roman Cechmanek didn't get the memo. Cechmanek gave up six goals on 20 shots in the All-Star Game and followed that up by letting in the same number of goals on the same number of shots Wednesday against the Penguins. Steve Sullivan scored his 26th goal in Chicago's win over Anaheim on Wednesday. Already, Sullivan has four more goals than his carrer high. He's just one behind team leader Tony Amonte. Sullivan has six shorthanded tallies and four on the power play. The Blackhawks probably don't have enough to make the playoffs out of the West, but this season, the Hawks are actually winning games when the season is still relevant, which is a change from the last few years. Sullivan takes pressure off Amonte and gives the team some depth to build around. After getting released by the Leafs last season, his is a great comeback story.

Since the focus of the season officially has shifted toward the postseason push, why not handicap the race and talk straight about who the favorites are? In the Corners begins out West and then, in "celebration" of the Devils-Penguins that night, we'll assess the Eastern Conference on Saturday. The teams are presented in order of their rank as contenders, and the corresponding numbers represent the teams' odds for making the conference finals -- at least in our estimation.

As always, ask questions or share thoughts as you wish.

Colorado Avalanche: 3-to-2
Don't give us the "They lost to the Caps" mantra. The Avs are the league's most talented team, and the veterans play with a sense of purpose because Joe Sakic (free agency) and Ray Bourque (retirement) could be gone this offseason. Look for a weakness, and it's difficult to find one. Colorado has future Hall of Famers at almost every position to go along with some incredible young talent.

The key will be health. They need Adam Deadmarsh in the lineup for scoring depth and Adam Foote to ease the load – especially in the defensive zone – on Bourque. But even with Foote healthy, defense might be one position the Avs try to upgrade a bit before the trade deadline.

Detroit Red Wings: 3-to-1
Surprised to see these guys ahead of Dallas, St. Louis and even San Jose? Well, the Red Wings are actually handicapped equally with Dallas; however, Detroit remains more formidable than the Sharks and Blues. And it comes down to this: Despite being long in the tooth, Detroit's talent and experience in the playoffs remains enough to beat a St. Louis or San Jose in a seven-game series.

Criticize Chris Osgood, but he's won more in the playoffs than Roman "Ticket out of town?" Turek and Evgeni Nabokov. Rookie goalies don't often march to the Cup finals – unless his name is Patrick Roy – and Turek lost a first-round series last year. Of course, Osgood needs to play up to his reputation for this to happen, and the Wings need to stay healthy. Don't forget, they have eight guys over the age of 35 and 11 over 30-years-old.

Dallas Stars: 3-to-1
That's right. Even though the Stars have played more hockey than anyone the last three years, coach Ken Hitchock's boys aren't done. Dallas is 2-0 this February. That gives them an aggregate 22-6-3 record in February dating back to 1997-98 season. Couple that history with the fact that Sharks forward Owen Nolan might be suspended for at least the remainder of the month, Dallas is primed to make a move for first place in the Pacific Division – as of Thursday, the Sharks has a two-point lead over the Stars.

That No. 3 seed – assuming that's where the Pacific winner ends up – will be huge because it likely means avoiding Detroit or St. Louis in the first round.

St. Louis Blues: 5-to-1
This could change between now and the trade deadline on March 13. But as it stands, the Blues remain a great regular-season team that needs to prove themselves in the postseason. How much did they learn from a Game 7 loss in the first round a year ago? Not as much as if that loss came in a later round.

If Chris Pronger comes back strong, and Pavol Demitra and Pierre Turgeon are 100 percent come April, the Blues will be tough, but they must have confidence in their goalie to do real damage. And right now, there doesn't seem to be a lot of confidence in Roman Turek. In the Corners says Keith Tkachuk and Mike Richter would change everything for this team – including their odds at making the conference finals.

San Jose Sharks: 7-to-1
The Sharks are a great story this season. In their 10th season, they are virtually assured a winning season for the first time in franchise history. But Owen Nolan will be suspended for more than a few games for his pre-All-Star break hit on Grant Marshall. That means more than two weeks without Nolan and Vincent Damphousse, who is still out with a shoulder injury. That's the team's top two point-getters gone for an important stretch.

Of course, both could be back and in good form when the playoffs kick into gear. But if Damphousse returns too late to get his legs back, it might be too late. In addition, the Sharks likely will enter the playoffs with a rookie goalie. Steve Shields is an excellent insurance policy, but goaltending remains an unknown.

Phoenix Coyotes: 10-to-1
The Coyotes could have a vastly different team in a few weeks. Considering what could be gained in return for Keith Tkachuk and Nikolai Khabibulin, the Coyotes might be the better for it. Much has been made of the fact that Phoenix hasn't won a playoff series since 1987 – that's 10 consecutive series losses including the second round in 1987.

It doesn't look like the Coyotes have enough to catch up in the Pacific, but they could get as high as No. 5. Unfortunately, that might not help in terms of getting a weaker opponent.

Whether it's Sean Burke or Nikolai Khabibulin – it'll likely be Burke – goaltending will be key for the Coyotes just to win one round. But don't expect Phoenix to make up for 10 seasons of playoff futility in one season.

Vancouver Canucks: 15-to-1
Think Dan Cloutier is the answer? Hardly. The Canucks are a good team that is only going to get better. The major question GM Brian Burke must address is whether he should make a bold move this year or wait another season before making a serious playoff run. Goaltending is an issue, and although Cloutier is feisty and has shown flashes of excellence, he's unproven and not the type of acquisition that has major postseason implications; it just means Burke likely will make another goaltending move before all is said and done.

Burke is smart. AND he just signed a contract extension. What's the rush?

Edmonton Oilers: 20-to-1
Remember, these are odds to make the conference finals. The Oilers at No. 8 are the reason why the NHL playoffs can be great with 30 teams. They are fast, dangerous and a bit fearless. Doug Weight can be electrifying. However, depth and youth will undo the Oilers before too much damage is done.

The Oilers will put a scare into some team, and if Tommy Salo can stand on his head – don't ya just love that cliché? – a first-round upset is a real possibility but not a second or third.

Los Angeles Kings: 20-to-1
Obviously, with three games in hand, making up four points on the No. 8 seed is more than a real possibility for the Kings. And if the Rob Blake situation gets settled in a timely and practical way – namely soon and if the Kings get something legitimate in return ... or sign him to an extension – the Kings are a talented bunch. Last season, L.A. had a good year and got blown away by Detroit in the first round.That could happen again, but at the same time, there's good veteran talent even without Blake, and Zigmund Palffy, Luc Robitaille can put up crooked numbers on the scoreboard. The big question is whether L.A.'s crooked number is higher than the opponent's. Don't forget that wild 8-5 loss to Detroit last year.

The rest of the West: 99-to-1
In honor of the outlandish odds of Wayne Gretzky staging a comeback. Teams like Nashville, Chicago and Calgary will relish the role of playing spoiler to some team. But when all is said an done, the Kings will pull away from the pack and nine teams will vie for the eight playoff spots. And even if the Predators, currently tied with L.A. with 55 points, keep up, they won't go past the first round.

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