When the NHL shut down for the entire 2004-05 season, Martin Gelinas left his wife and three young children in North America to continue his hockey career in Switzerland.

"I've got a wonderful wife (and) she understood that was best for my career," Gelinas said. "My kids are great, too."

Gelinas, who returned to sign a two-year deal with the Panthers in August 2005, may face a similar decision in the next few weeks: Whether to waive his no-trade clause and, at 36, take a shot at a Stanley Cup run elsewhere.

"Right now my focus is here," he said. "(But) if the time comes where (coach) Jacques (Martin) comes to me and says, 'It's time,' I'll think about it."

Gelinas is the kind of player teams will covet leading up to the Feb. 27 NHL trade deadline: a gritty, experienced performer with a reasonable salary ($975,000) who can make a difference in the post-season. His 147 career playoff games include a Stanley Cup as a rookie in 1990 and Stanley Cup Final appearances with Carolina in 2002 and Calgary in 2004.

One of the veterans brought in by Martin and former General Manager Mike Keenan to serve as an example to the team's promising group of youngsters, Gelinas said that approach has had mixed results.

"I've seen some younger guys change; I've seen some guys that are keeping the same culture they had before," he said. "Can you change people? I think you can.

"I was fortunate. I came to the Oilers when they had (Mark) Messier and (Glenn) Anderson and (Grant) Fuhr. They were winners, and I learned from that. There are some kids here who will learn, and others who haven't. We've got some good young players. We haven't matured as much as I would've liked."

Gelinas has forged a successful 17-year NHL career by being reliable at both ends of the ice. While he's not putting up the offensive numbers he did while with Vancouver in the late 1990s, when he had consecutive 30-goal seasons, he's confident he can still hold his own.

"Skating is not a problem," he said. "We do drills after practice and it's not a matter of me keeping up, it's them (his teammates) keeping up."

Martin has had no problems with Gelinas' performance this season, particularly of late, with seven of Gelinas' nine goals coming in the past 21 games.

"Marty is a hard-working player, you know what you're going to get from him every night," he said.

With three straight losses heading into tonight's home game against Phoenix, the playoffs have become a long shot.

So if Martin comes to him with that question sometime soon, he may find it hard to say no.

"It's the fun time of the year," he said. "Once you're there, it's an unbelievable feeling to be a part of it."