With the Eastern Conference powers powering down, the Montreal Canadiens are poised to sit at the top for a long time.
The NHL, on almost all levels, work like the tides of the ocean. Whether it's conferences, divisions, teams, or players themselves, things are good for a while, then they go bad for a few years, and then they get good again. The Montreal Canadiens' tide is coming, while the Eastern Conference superpowers are starting to ebb.