2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Change is the only certainty in the NHL's salary cap era. Dynasties are harder to come by as teams are forced to make difficult financial and personnel decisions each year, but sustained success can still be had by the clubs which are best able to maneuver within the system.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the most consistently successful clubs since the salary cap was enacted at the beginning of the 2005-06 season, with five straight postseason appearances and counting and a Stanley Cup win to their credit.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been in a tailspin for quite some time now. It's been a unhealthy mix of no offense trumped by many games lacking quality goaltending.

Sergei Bobrovsky took the Flyers and fans by storm early this season, showing flashes of brilliance and a superior calm. But over the last 20 games he has played, his goaltending has not helped the Flyers' cause.

With playoffs just two weeks away, teams should be starting to wonder what roles their rookies are capable of playing in these intense games. Likewise, rookies should understand that their confidence will be challenged, and they will be expected to adjust their style in order to be able to help their team in the playoffs.

Now that we're into the month of December, we can now see which teams are legitimate Stanley Cup playoff contenders and which teams have begun their descent towards the NHL draft lottery. 

To coin a phrase a former Blue Jackets head coach once used to jumpstart a struggling team, "It starts now."

With that, here are the power rankings for the week ending Dec. 10:

If the season ended today, the greatest fear of any Buffalo Sabres fan holds true: the Sabres would be out of the playoffs. They currently sit in third place in the Northeast Division and ninth place in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the Atlanta Thrashers for eighth. Obviously, this is a problem that isn't going to fix itself.

So, in order to make the playoffs, what needs to happen?

Antti Niemi will eternally be a piece of history; not only to Chicago, but to his native country for being the first Finnish goalie to win the Stanley Cup.

In Chicago, he helped bring the Cup home after a 49-year drought.  He was also part of the Blackhawks exasperating summer which allowed him to become an Unrestricted Free Agent.

This past summer NHL experts, fans and casual bloggers typed away on the Blackhawks losing half their team.

As nine remarkable contributors parted ways with the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, people began to move on from the Blackhawks to find the next best team.

“Losing” depth was a crucial concern, but the new members seem to be meshing incredibly fine.

They actually, are almost identical to last year’s team.

Leighton could get a chance to be the full-time starter.

The 2010 NHL playoffs have officially come to an end—and with all of the hype surrounding the World Cup, they have already been forgotten.

The NHL could not have asked for a better postseason. Ratings were the highest for the Stanley Cup Finals in years and the league’s youth was showcased throughout the playoffs.

There was a plethora of upsets and heroes, which made for one of the greatest postseasons in NHL history.

When the Montreal Canadiens ousted the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, fans started asking questions as to what the organization need in order to win the Stanley Cup again.

Well the obvious choices were wingers and defensemen.

I looked back at my old articles to see who I think fits the mold for this concept.  Now I'm deciding about the one argument that seems to have media and fans alike asking more questions.

Colby Armstrong.