As the weeks wind down to the start of training camp and the 2009-10 NHL season, the Flyers are likely to be mentioned as one of the top contenders to emerge from the Eastern Conference come playoff time.

I've always found it to be an exercise in futility to make any sort of predictions at this stage -- there's simply too much that changes and too many variables over the course of the regular season marathon and playoff matchups. But I will say this: Led by Kimmo Timonen and Chris Pronger the Flyers could potentially have a blueline that exceeds even the ones led by Mark Howe and Brad McCrimmon in the mid-1980s.

In order to do that, though, at least two of three things need to fall in place.

1) Braydon Coburn needs to plays with greater consistency than he did last year. Entering the 2008-09 season Coburn was expected to build on his breakthrough campaign of the previous season. He didn't have a bad year, but he really wasn't the type of impact defenseman the club hoped he'd be. With Pronger on board, I would think that John Stevens will reunite Coburn full-time with Timonen rather than putting Pronger with Timonen. There should be less pressure on Coburn this season and hopefully he will take the next step.

2) Matt Carle needs to show the form he displayed his first two weeks with the club and not what he did for much of the rest of the season. Even if he's potential trade bait for salary cap relief or to fill other needs, with a cap hit like his, Carle needs to be more reliable at both ends of the ice.

3) Ryan Parent needs to stay healthy and get settled as an NHL regular. With his mobility and defense-first attitude, he could potentially make a fine young partner for Pronger.

I omitted Randy Jones here because, in his likely third-pairing role, he's already shown he can be effective. Jones gets into trouble when his minutes get extended, but in the fifth or sixth defense slot, he's reliable (if expensive). Health is the bigger concern for him.

Back in the heyday of Howe and McCrimmon, the team relied on the top unit to eat up 35 (and sometimes even 40) minutes of ice time per game and then pieced together the rest with Brad Marsh, Doug Crossman and others. The third pairing hardly saw the ice unless the game was a blowout or injuries or penalties forced the line rotation to be juggled.

Nowadays, contending teams need more depth, with three viable pairings. The club can't afford for Pronger and Timonen to log 30-plus minutes throughout the season and get worn down for the playoffs. Assuming they stay healthy, their leadership and strong play are a given. But beyond Pronger and Timonen, other players will need to step up and stay healthy if the Flyers are truly to have a Stanley Cup caliber blueline.

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