LOS ANGELES -- The 2014-15 NHL season was one to forget for the Los Angeles Kings, who were shorthanded at the start, beset by injuries, and didn't have the depth or energy to stay afloat in the Western Conference. They were the first defending Stanley Cup champion to miss the playoffs since 2007.

But the Kings remain one of the more feared teams in the West because of their mettle, style of play, and goalie Jonathan Quick. They have lost some of the pieces from their two championship teams, but remain a team no opponent wants to face in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Here are four reasons for optimism this season:

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings' first early postseason in six years understandably brought a lot of questions. After two Stanley Cup championships and three trips to the Western Conference Final in four seasons, cracks are visible in their mini-dynasty.

The good news is the Kings are used to adjusting and dealing with adversity, having proven to be one the NHL's most resilient teams the past few seasons. And if they get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they remain a dangerous and imposing team.

Here are three questions the Kings must answer:

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2015-16 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout August.

The Dallas Stars were busy this offseason not only trying to assure they get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs but looking to build a perennial contender.

Forward Patrick Sharp, acquired in a July 10 trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, and defenseman Johnny Oduya, signed as a free agent July 15, bring a winning pedigree to Dallas that could help the young Stars reach the top of the Western Conference this season and for years to come.

"We're excited and we know we're going to be good offensively," general manager Jim Nill said. "Our biggest thing is going to be playing the game the right way both ways, and we're going to do that."

The Dallas Stars are confident they did enough this offseason to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing them last season.

The Stars were second in the NHL in goals (3.13 per game) in 2014-15 but finished tied for 26th in goals allowed (3.13 per game).

"We know we can score goals," general manager Jim Nill said, "but it's still going to come down to how we play away from the puck that's going to be the biggest thing."

Here are three questions facing the Stars entering this season:

The Dallas Stars appear primed to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after an offseason when they added three players who've won the Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Stars got off to a slow start last season -- they were 9-10-5 through November -- and finished seven points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.

It was a disappointing step back for Dallas, which made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons in 2014.

"We need to make the playoffs," general manager Jim Nill said. "We need to be a consistent team. The idea is to make the playoffs every year, so that's our goal."

Here are four reasons for the Stars to be optimistic:

The Dallas Stars had four defensemen 23 or younger play significant minutes last season, including 22-year-old John Klingberg, who was fifth in Calder Trophy voting after he scored 11 goals with 29 assists in 65 games.

Klingberg, Jamie Oleksiak, 22, and Patrik Nemeth and Jyrki Jokipakka, each 23, played a total of 174 games.

Three of the Stars' top prospects are defensemen, and a handful of others could be playing in the NHL soon.

"On the back end, we've got lots of depth," general manager Jim Nill said.

Here are the Stars' top five prospects, according to NHL.com:

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers are hoping they can build on their improvement and strong finish from last season to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2015-16.

The Panthers made few personnel changes in the offseason, confident that their mix of young talent and half-dozen veterans can help them get back to the postseason for the first time since 2011-12.

Here are four reasons the Panthers should be optimistic about doing so:

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers have emphasized stockpiling draft picks since Dale Tallon took over as general manager in May 2010, and they've generally hit more often than they've missed.

The Panthers have two of the past three Calder Trophy winners: Jonathan Huberdeau (2013) and Aaron Ekblad (2015). The nucleus of their up-and-coming team consists of their recent draft picks. The good news for Florida is there appears to be some more quality prospects ready to help soon, particularly at defenseman.

Here is a look at the Panthers' top five prospects, according to NHL.com:

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2015-16 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout August.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers made the biggest improvement in the NHL last season and are counting on their young players to continue that progress.

The Panthers that will open training camp in September will be almost the same team that closed 2014-15 with 91 points, an NHL-best 25-point increase from the previous season. The only veteran addition of note during the offseason was forward Reilly Smith, who came from the Boston Bruins in a trade along with the contract of injured center Marc Savard for forward Jimmy Hayes.

The Panthers stayed very quiet during free agency; the five players they signed each received a two-way contract.

It was quite a contrast from the previous summer, when on July 1 the Panthers signed five established veterans who figure to play prominent roles again this season: Dave Bolland, Jussi Jokinen, Shawn Thornton, Willie Mitchell and Derek MacKenzie.

This summer turned out to be more about clearing roster space for the young players. Florida made no effort to re-sign its veteran free agents, forwards Scottie Upshall and Tomas Kopecky, and goalie Dan Ellis. They released forward Brad Boyes, who led the Panthers with 21 goals in 2013-14.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Although a 25-point improvement in 2014-15 was the best in the NHL, the Florida Panthers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 13th time in 14 seasons.

The only time in that span they qualified for the postseason was in 2011-12, when the Panthers won the Southeast Division title after a big spending spree in the free agent market. The approach this season is to rely on a young nucleus and hope the maturation process has reached fruition.

Here are three important questions that will determine if the Panthers return to the playoffs: