NHL Eastern Confrence

Since the 2005 NHL lockout, there have only been two teams that appeared in the Stanley Cup Final two consecutive years: the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and 2009. With the Philadelphia Flyers having fallen just two games short of the 2010 Stanley Cup, their next goal is immediately apparent.

The Broad Street Bullies must return to the final and once again challenge for a Stanley Cup championship.

Of course, this is much more easily said than done.

Having already covered a total of ten Eastern Conference teams, we now turn our focus to the next five: the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals.

Needless to say, drafting between 18th and 30th overall, the pickings get a little slim towards the end.

That said, many have seen players slip through the cracks.

Will the 2010 edition of the NHL Entry Draft be any different?

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We come down to the last four teams standing in the NHL’s Stanley Cup tournament, and while the dominant San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks will have a showdown in the West, the surprise Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens will battle it out for supremacy in the East.

10 goals, 13 assists and a plus-one rating over 63 games, while averaging only 14 minutes of ice-time per contest.

These are the stats line for Sean Bergenheim of the New York Islanders, who’s slated to go to arbitration and possibly leave the circus that is Long Island.

A decent scoring winger who only makes $800,000 per season doesn’t sound too bad to me.

Tossing out names that Leafs fans believe should be on the back of a blue & white jersey next season is something that gathers up plenty of space on message boards, blogs, articles, comments sections, and the like.

Some think it’s foolish, others think it’s a waste of time. But I believe it’s a tribute to the common Leafs fan.

Whenever someone mentions the possibility of Brian Burke pulling a deal with the Bruins to re-acquire the No. 2 pick in this years draft, I usually pass it off as psychosis. Chiarelli received more than he ever could have expected for Phil Kessel when the Leafs fell to second last place in the regular season. Now he’ll have the chance to draft an amazing talent in Tyler Seguin if the Oilers brass are foolish enough to take Taylor Hall first overall, which they are.

On April 13, I posted "2010 NHL Playoffs: 25 Bold Predictions for the Playoffs" to look into my crystal ball and see how the 2010 NHL playoffs might progress.

I'm not above being held accountable for my predictions, as bold or wild as they might be. So in an effort to see how close to reality/full of it I am, let's take a look back at my 25 Bold Predictions, more than two weeks laters, and see how I did.

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We're at the mid-point of most of the NHL's first round playoff series, and there are very few things determined in the Western Conference.

In the East, hope is not completely lost but, with all three series now sitting at 3-1, the trailing teams are going to need a special effort to see more than a fifth game.

There have been some special players stepping up (Sidney Crosby), and other players struggling (Roberto Luongo).

As the Stanley Cup Playoffs steamroll ahead, there are 14 teams that have already started their offseason evaluations. With the NHL Draft order set and the prospects being evaluated, the teams with the top picks are starting to consider how a teenager might play into their future.

Other teams are considering if it's time to move on with some of their elite veterans.

As fans get ready for the Stanley Cup playoffs to begin, it's time to look forward and consider some predictions.

It's easy to predict that Sidney Crosby will have an awful mustache in a week, or that fans in every city will drink too much. It's also easy to predict that Rangers fans will forever hate the shootout.

But what about some bold predictions?