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

The Carolina Hurricanes' hopes of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs ended almost before last season had begun. An 0-6-2 October under new coach Bill Peters proved to be too deep of a hole, and Carolina finished 27 points out of the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

The Hurricanes haven't made a lot of changes this offseason, but they're hopeful the ones they have made will help them generate enough offense, especially at even strength, to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

The Carolina Hurricanes' pool of young talent received a big boost at the 2015 NHL Draft.

General manager Ron Francis had the fifth pick in the first round and wound up with the consensus No. 1 defenseman, Noah Hanifin, who excelled in his freshman season at Boston College. Francis wasted little time getting Hanifan's signature on a contract during development camp last month.

Hanifin joins a prospect pool that's already deep on defense but thinner in scoring punch. Most of the Hurricanes' top young players are defensemen, though 2015 second-round pick Sebastian Aho, a right wing, turned heads at development camp.

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

The Carolina Hurricanes have a big hill to climb if they hope to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2009.

The Hurricanes are coming off a season when they finished last in the Metropolitan Division, 14th in the Eastern Conference and 26th in the NHL. They were among the League's lowest-scoring teams, and their playoff hopes were essentially gone before the first month of the season ended after a 0-6-2 start in October.

It was a nightmarish first season for general manager Ron Francis and coach Bill Peters, and with several teams in the conference making major improvements this offseason, avoiding a seventh consecutive non-playoff season won't be easy.

Here are three questions facing the Hurricanes this season:

It's been a bleak stretch for the Carolina Hurricanes, one of two teams that have not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2010s. Carolina has advanced to the postseason twice in the past 10 seasons; 2006, when the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup (defeating the Edmonton Oilers in their last playoff appearance), and 2009, when it reached the Eastern Conference Final.

Carolina finished last in the Metropolitan Division in 2014-15 with 71 points; the Hurricanes' playoff hopes were largely doomed by an 0-6-2 start. Most of their problems came on offense: The Hurricanes were 27th in the NHL with 183 goals; center Eric Staal was the only Carolina player to score more than 20 goals and finish with more than 50 points (23, 54).

The Hurricanes realize the challenge ahead if they are to return to the playoffs, but here are four reasons for optimism:

TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new coach and a new general manager as they try to rebound from a season that saw them finish 30 points out of a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With Mike Babcock behind the bench and Lou Lamoriello in the general manager's chair, second-year team president Brendan Shanahan is going all-in on his makeover of the Maple Leafs, who have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once since 2004 and haven't won the Cup since 1967.

Here are three questions about the Maple Leafs moving forward:

TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a transition phase, and it is clear there will be no quick fixes after they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. President Brendan Shanahan and new coach Mike Babcock have preached patience as they take their first steps toward trying to construct a winning team.

With sweeping changes this summer, including a trade that sent forward Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 2015-16 Maple Leafs will bear little resemblance to recent editions. Considering they've made the playoffs once since 2004, it's a welcomed fresh start.

Here are four reasons for optimism:

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

TORONTO -- Brendan Shanahan hopes reshaping the Toronto Maple Leafs front office and coaching staff will lead to a better on-ice product in the near future.

Shanahan's two major offseason moves were hiring Mike Babcock as coach May 20 and Lou Lamoriello as general manager July 23.

Babcock, 52, spent the past 10 seasons coaching the Detroit Red Wings. Under Babcock, the Red Wings made the Stanley Cup Playoffs every year, won the Cup in 2008 and made it to the Final the following year. Shanahan is so convinced Babcock is the man for the job in Toronto that he signed him to an eight-year contract reportedly worth $50 million.

TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs are committed to building through the draft, so when they traded forward Phil Kessel this summer, it was important to get a first-round pick and a quality prospect (Kasperi Kapanen) from the Pittsburgh Penguins in return.

That trade came days after the Maple Leafs selected center Mitchell Marner in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft, and one year after they selected another center, William Nylander, with their top pick.

Marner, Nylander and Kapanen are smaller players who are highly skilled. The Maple Leafs, traditionally one of the NHL's bigger teams, have put an emphasis on skill over size in recent drafts.

Despite missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past two seasons, Toronto is committed to not rushing its top prospects.

"We want our prospects to be ready for full-time employment when we call them up," assistant general manager Kyle Dubas said. "We don't want them to be going back and forth from the Maple Leafs to the minors."

Here is a look at the Maple Leafs' 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.

The Arizona Coyotes had two big problems last season.

"Not only couldn't we score last year, we couldn't defend," general manager Don Maloney said.

This season, Maloney expects at least a revamped defense to be much improved.

"Bringing back Zbynek Michalek, who's a core guy for us, you know what you're getting out of him," Maloney said in late July. "Nick Grossman, we are adding him to our mix; two guys who just give us stability on our blue line. Klas Dahlbeck came in and had a pretty impressive year … as did Connor Murphy. Brandon Gormley comes in and establishes a name for himself.

"Long story short, I know we are going to be a better team next year."

Last season, the Coyotes had the worst record in the Western Conference and were 11-25-5 at Gila River Arena, their worst home record since they moved to Arizona 19 years ago. It included three home losing streaks of at least eight games.

The Arizona Coyotes have reason for optimism because of young talent that likely will be in the NHL in the near future.

It starts with forwards Max Domi and Anthony Duclair, who each has a good chance to make the roster out of training camp. Forward Dylan Strome, the No. 3 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, probably will spend the season in the American Hockey League, but he and forwards Christian Dvorak and Brendan Perlini could reach the NHL in 2015-16.

Defensemen Brandon Gormley, Philip Samuelsson and Klas Dahlbeck are likely to be staples for years to come.

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