Frozen Ponderings

The Coyotes currently reside in the No. 8 spot out West, a mere two points ahead of the Kings. Phoenix has 11 games left, as does L.A. after Saturday's 1-0 win over San Jose. If Phoenix doesn't make the playoffs, they will regret not trading Jeremy Roenick at the deadline. Roenick will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and can go anywhere. The Coyotes could have received some value in return and still gone after him this summer. Only the Devils (244) have more goals than the Penguins (243). But the Penguins have allowed more goals (222) than any other top-16 team. In fact, Vancouver (212) is the only other playoff team allowing more than 200. Pavel Bure became the first player to eclipse the 50-goal barrier this season, and his recent goal binge -- 13 goals in 14 games -- has everything to do with Bure shooting early and often. Over the recent stretch, Bure has generated 94 shots, the most of anyone in the same span by a whopping 31 shots. Jaromir Jagr is next with 63. It's no wonder they are Nos. 1 and 2 in goals. It seems that something related to next winter's Olympics can be gleaned off anything in the NHL right now. Look at the shutout leaders: Roman Cechmanek (9 -- Czech Republic), Dominik Hasek (8 -- Czech Republic), Ed Belfour (7 -- Canada), Martin Brodeur (7 -- Canada), Tommy Salo (7 -- Sweden). Patrick Roy has a good chance to be playing for Canada next year, but Brodeur is a sure bet, and if Belfour doesn't get penalized for bad behavior, he should get as much consideration as Roy. The American with the most shutouts is Brent Johnson with four -- not that shutouts are any overarching guage of a goalie's talent and accomplishments. Johnson has a better GAA (2.07) than all of the above but Cechmanek (2.00). It's doubtful Ottawa's Martin Havlat will win the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. With 39 points (17-22-39), Havlat has 15 fewer than Brad Richards -- who plays on a much weaker team -- and Evgeni Nabokov likely will get just as many votes as Richards. But Havlat is every bit as talented. Playing on a great team has its advantages and disadvantages. Havlat plays with better players, but he also sees less ice time; and the puck needs to be distributed more evenly. But in his last eight games, he has five goals, 11 points and is a plus-4.

At one point, the Canucks didn't think they could give away Felix Potvin and his $2.7 million salary.

Now, 12 games into his stay in Los Angeles, the Kings don't know what they'd do without him.

Since the Kings decided to pick up the remainder of his 2000-2001 salary – about $800,000 – Potvin has been worth the risk, going 8-2-2, including Saturday's 18-save shutout of the Sharks. That's a far cry from his 14-17-3 mark with Vancouver, to go along with a 3.08 GAA and .887 save percentage.

"I think the biggest difference is that, from the moment I got here, I was given the ball and it's been mine to roll," Potvin said. "It's been fun to play 11 in a row. I haven't been in that position in a while, and the team has played well in front of me."

Potvin's freefall from the ranks of elite NHL goalies has been a steady descent since Toronto acquired Curtis Joseph in 1998, making Potvin expendable.The goalie formerly known as "Felix the Cat" looked more like Felix Unger during his stint with the Islanders. And despite having a good run last season for the Canucks (12 wins, 2.59 GAA, .906 save percentage), he couldn't sustain it this season, leading to a loss of confidence. Canucks general manager Brian Burke said upon dealing him to L.A. that Potvin's troubles were "not physical -- It's confidence."

"I wouldn't say it was an issue," countered Potvin. "I had a great run in Vancouver last year. This year, it was funny. I just couldn't get comfortable. I got pulled a few times and couldn't get into the game being worried about my job.

"But the organization was good to let me go here."

Even though Potvin denies a lack of confidence led to his inconsistent play, he acknowledges the mental difficulty of dealing with his slump.

"You have to trust your instincts," he said. "The last two-to-three years, a lot of people have been telling me different stuff. At some point, you have to put it in the back of your mind and go with your instincts."

Instincts seem to be serving Potvin well, and a renewed faith in them couldn't have come at a better time -- both for the Kings and for Potvin. L.A. currently sits in the No. 9 spot out West, four points behind Phoenix with a game in hand. Two of the Kings' final four games are against the Canucks.

For Potvin himself, this isn't a last chance to prove he's a No. 1 goalie, but if he plans to remain in the same tax bracket, a continuation of what he's started in L.A. would help. Potvin will be a restricted free agent at season's end, and the Kings would like to have some stability at a position that's been anything but stable the last few years. Stephane Fiset has battled injuries and Jamie Storr has been inconsistent.

"It's been fun so far," Potvin said. "I have known Stephane for a long time. They (Fiset, Storr) have been real good about it.

"I feel very fortunate to come to a team like L.A. to be in a playoff race."

Mailbag
During the season, a question or two from ESPN.com users will be answered in every edition of In the Corners. If you want to get a question answered, click here and ask away.

Question from Tim Sherman from Fulton, N.Y.: After all of the recent personnel changes would you still regard the Colorado Avalanche as the favorites to take home the Cup? If not, who is and why?

Response: Colorado and New Jersey need to be considered 1 and 1A. New Jersey might not have the same number of All-Stars, but they are every bit as deep, if not deeper. Colorado has the edge at center with Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg, but New Jersey's third and fourth lines are quicker and more valuable.

If Adam Foote can regain his form upon his return from a shoulder injury, the Avs have more star power on defense, and it's difficult to match up any three defensemen in the NHL against Foote, Ray Bourque and Rob Blake.

Right now, Detroit looks like it could make a run for it. The Red Wings are healthy, deep, experienced and talented. They're also old, but the veterans don't seem to be showing their age -- at the moment. For Detroit to supplant Colorado as the Western Conference representative in the finals, seeding and goalteding will be key.

Truth be told, several other teams are capable of winning the Cup, but these three are the most complete teams right now.

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