Dave Isaac

@davegisaac

Is it a Stanley Cup season in Philadelphia this year? Not likely, although the Flyers' potential is on the rise. Here are five things that need to go the Flyers' way if they're going to have a shot at ending a championship-less drought that's 40 years running.

The defense needs to play up to par

You're only as strong as your weakest link and many perceive that to be the Flyers' defense. Not only are they still without future Hall of Famer Chris Pronger, but it looks like Kimmo Timonen's career is over, too. Both players are still on the books, so the team had to fill voids on a budget. The wild card in the group is a newcomer.

Michael Del Zotto could still be very much on the upswing as a 24-year-old; however, he needs to be more consistent. He had fantastic rookie and third-year seasons, but has been pedestrian otherwise. His puck-moving abilities made him an intriguing free agent this offseason, but other teams didn't take a flier on him. Perhaps that will motivate him even more.

"That's the vibe coming out and it makes sense," GM Ron Hextall said. "Here's a kid that's a really young kid, he got traded and let go by a team. This is also a kid we can't forget had a lot of success. He's put up numbers that very few defensemen put up in this league at that age. We're excited about him."

Outside of Del Zotto, the Flyers will return mostly the same group, including Braydon Coburn, Mark Streit, Andrew MacDonald, Nick Grossmann and Luke Schenn. Nick Schultz, a free-agent signee, is the likely seventh D man.

Steve Mason can't have a drop-off

Ever since he arrived in Philadelphia, Steve Mason has been quite good between the pipes. His critics keep promising diminishing returns and saying his success in net is not sustainable. Well…so far Mason has proved them wrong. Thing is, if the Flyers are going to make a run, he has to keep proving them wrong.

At 26, Mason is in the prime years of his career. In parts of two seasons as a Flyer, he has a .920 save percentage and 2.44 goals-against average, better than his overall career numbers of a .907 save percentage and 2.79 goals-against average, and that included winning the Calder Trophy with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2009.

"Every player comes into a new season with a lot to prove," Mason said. "I'm looking forward to building off of last year's game and just getting better as a goaltender and as an organization and team as a whole. The core group of guys that we have here are now another year older, a little more experienced. I think that's invaluable."

Claude Giroux must stay healthy

The Flyers couldn't have had much worse of a start to training camp than their captain departing 15 minutes into the first practice. An injury like the one he suffered that first practice is fairly common, though. What he can't have again is a repeat of last year when offseason hand surgery had such an effect on him that he went scoreless the first 15 games.

Don't expect a long scoring drought again, but his early-season struggles and the team's early-season struggles were not a coincidence.

Sean Couturier must get offensive

In his fourth season, Sean Couturier knows he'll need to step it up. The defensive-minded center has been used as a shutdown pivot more than a scoring threat. The Flyers will likely change that, putting power forward Wayne Simmonds on his line with Matt Read.

The Flyers would love it if he turned out like Boston's Patrice Bergeron, a two-time Selke Trophy winner.

Bergeron is the shutdown center for the Bruins, but he also scored 30 goals last year. Then again, Bergeron was starting in the offensive zone 45.6 percent of the time at even strength last season. Couturier started in the opposing end 41.7 percent at even strength, an increase from his first two years, when that percentage was in the 30s.

The offensive production certainly won't happen overnight, but Couturier knows that the process must start this season.

"I was drafted as a two-way forward," Couturier said. "I had good stats in juniors, so obviously there's some expectations at this level. I know I can do it, but I have to be smart at the same time. I can't just change my game and start being all offense. I won't be as efficient as I am right now. I've just got to stay the same player, a solid, two-way game, and just capitalize on my chances and my opportunities."

Division rivals must falter

Even if all those things and more go right for the Flyers, they'll still need help if they're going to win the Cup for a third time in franchise history. Heck, they might need help just to make the playoffs.

As the team is currently constructed, it will be difficult to them contend within the division. The reigning Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers got a tad stronger in the offseason by adding Dan Boyle. The Washington Capitals look better, too. Pennsylvania's other team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, is still stout on defense, even if Marc-Andre Fleury can be streaky in goal. Out in Columbus, the Blue Jackets seem like a team that will improve as a young team gains experience.

The Flyers would need for a couple of those teams to falter. The Rangers lost their top center, Derek Stepan, to a broken leg and that will put a damper on their season, but that might not be a big enough opportunity for the Flyers to capitalize on.