Lead Pass

Games of Note Pittsburgh at Buffalo, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET: On the ice, the Penguins are banged up and a bit distracted by all the Mario Lemieux comeback talk. The Pens are 0-3-3 in their last six. This game is the night before Lemieux's first game (home vs. Toronto). A road win would be a great way to give the team confidence without Lemieux. San Jose at Los Angeles, Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. ET: San Jose is tied with Detroit for the most road wins with 11. The Sharks spent a little time at home before hitting L.A. for the final road game of a six-game trip. The Kings have lost four in a row and a loss to the Sharks drops them 10 points out of first in the Pacific Division. Phoenix at Chicago, Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. ET: Trade rumors are constant in the NHL. But recently, many have swirled around – and including – these two teams. The Hawks would like a goalie, and if the Coyotes sign Nikolai Khabibulin, they'll have two No. 1 guys. Tony Amonte could be dangled somewhere, and there's little doubt Phoenix will want to dump Keith Tkachuk's salary. In terms of on-ice impact, it's always interesting when Jeremy Roenick returns to Chicago. And the Hawks have won three in a row. Frozen Ponderings If Islanders prospect Rick DiPietro plays well at the World Junior Championships, it might be time to give him a look with the big club. ... Thrashers forward Ray Ferraro almost retired two seasons ago. Instead, he signed a two-year deal to play for the expansion team. After enduring a brutal season a year ago, the Thrashers are exponentially more competitive this season, and Ferraro, along with Donald Audette and Andrew Brunette, has experienced a career renaissance, with 14 goals and 34 points in 33 games. The 36-year-old forward has expressed how much more fun this year has been, and the Thrashers should offer him a one-year deal right now because he's only making about $1 million, and it won't break the bank to keep a good offensive player and great locker-room presence. – Brian A. Shactman

What's it like to go from the topsy-turvy world of the Phoenix Coyotes to the relative tranquility of the St. Louis Blues?

Blues forward Dallas Drake is one guy who actually can answer that question.

"I think it's a little more stable (in St. Louis) with the ownership and stuff (in Phoenix)," said Drake, who played six-plus seasons for Winnipeg-Phoenix before signing with St. Louis this summer. "The Blues want to win, and their chances are pretty good. We have a lot of players who play the same way. Phoenix is getting deeper, but the last few years, they might have relied too much on Keith and J.R. (Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick)."

In the offseason, Drake was coming off a career-high 45 points, and he used his free-agent status to leave Phoenix, which had been knee deep in ownership trouble and trade rumors surrounding their top players, for St. Louis, which was coming off the best regular season of any NHL team.

"It was a tough choice for me. I enjoyed Phoenix," Drake admitted. "(But) St. Louis was a team I looked at because I felt they had a chance to win the Cup the next few years, and I had heard great things about the staff – the coaches and everyone else."

It didn't hurt that the Blues handed Drake $9 million over four years – pretty good for a left wing who never scored more than 19 goals in a season.

Why did they commit that much money to Drake?

Because the 6-foot, 187-pound left wing is gritty and physical. He also plays solid two-way hockey – which fits well with other Blues players and the team's system – and Drake had seven points in seven playoff games for the Coyotes in 1999.

The Blues received plenty of criticism after getting bounced from the first round of last year's playoffs. Character, grit and experience were words used to describe what the roster might have lacked. The addition of Drake and all his assets was a response to that criticism, and in a lot of ways was a response to the loss of Geoff Courtnall, who was forced to retire due to post-concussion syndrome. Courtnall was an older veteran who could a lot of things for the Blues; his absence was missed in the playoffs.

So far, things have gone well for Drake and for the Blues. His 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 31 games put him on pace to eclipse last year's 45 points. Drake also is a plus-12. And the Blues are an incredible 23-4-4.

But none of that matters if St. Louis doesn't go farther into the playoffs. Ironically, Drake has never been past the first round of the playoffs in his entire NHL career. So, we'll have to wait and see if he can help the Blues get over that hump.

"We have so many good young players," Drake said. "I think we have as good a chance as anyone (to win the Cup). But I can't say much more than that because I've never been past the first round. But we have the pieces to the puzzle.

"It's real frustrating (the lack of playoff success). I won a championship in college; that was the best thing that ever happened to me in hockey. Hopefully, we can do that. At this point in my career, that's all I think about – an opportunity, a chance to kick at the can."

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 Diana Hall of Washington D.C.: Where do you see Brett Hull next year, since he'll be a free agent? Do you think, as many do, that he will retire? My hope is that he'll sign with the Caps to try to give Adam Oates a shot at the Cup.

Response: There's little doubt that Hull is frustrated with the way the game is played. However, with 21 goals, he's proving this season that he can still be a big-time scorer in the NHL, despite being 36-years old. In the end, the money on a short-term deal will be too good for him to pass up – he has stated that the money is why he's still playing, anyway.

But don't expect him to choose Washington. The odds are he'll sign with a team with more depth up front and a more wide-open style.

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.