VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks reshaped their roster with several trades this offseason after losing in six games to the Calgary Flames in the Western Conference First Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Longtime defenseman Kevin Bieksa is gone, as are goalie Eddie Lack and forwards Zack Kassian and Shawn Matthias. Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin remain as the Canucks' core players.

General manager Jim Benning said the roster shakeup will make Vancouver better equipped for the postseason and open spots for young players. It will be up to second-year coach Willie Desjardins to put the pieces together.

Here are three questions facing the Canucks entering the season:

VANCOUVER -- It wasn't long ago it would have been difficult to come up with a list of five good Vancouver Canucks prospects.

That's no longer the case, thanks in part to general manager Jim Benning, who was brought in last summer because of his scouting acumen.

Benning pointed to all the draft picks traded away before his arrival as the primary reason for the dearth of prospect talent. He did credit the previous regime for a strong 2013 NHL Draft that included Bo Horvat (No. 9), Hunter Shinkaruk (No. 24) and Cole Cassels (No. 85), and said his focus at the 2014 and 2015 drafts was adding skilled players.

"I think the future looks really good now," Benning said. "We're going to have good players come out of these last two draft classes."

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

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Washington Capitals bulked up their prospect pool by selecting goaltender Ilya Samsonov in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft, a surprising move considering how deep they are at the position.

Several prospects, notably Jakub Vrana and Madison Bowey, will play for Hershey of the American Hockey League this season, on what could be the youngest Bears team in 10 years.

Young talent in the AHL means the Capitals will have options for recalls.

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

ARLINGTON, Va. -- In Barry Trotz's first season as coach of the Washington Capitals, he got them back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after they missed the year before.

This season, there are many reasons to believe they'll be a legitimate contender to win Stanley Cup.

Here are four reasons the Capitals can be so optimistic:

ARLINGTON, Va. -- By adding forwards Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie this offseason, the Washington Capitals hope they've completed a team that can withstand the rigors of playoff hockey and is good enough to win the Stanley Cup.

But there are plenty of lingering issues for the Capitals, from the way their lineup will be constructed to who will be in it.

Here are three questions facing the Capitals this season:

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

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Washington Capitals spent this offseason trying to fix what went wrong in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when they were eliminated by the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Second Round after holding a 3-1 series lead.

Since selecting Alex Ovechkin with the first pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, Washington has been one win from advancing to the Eastern Conference Final three times (2009, 2012, 2015), but the Capitals haven't been able to earn that victory.

Ovechkin turns 30 on Sept. 17, so the time for Washington is now.

"I felt the window to win with him was 10 years old," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said in July. "He's a fantastic player. He plays hard all the time, and I feel I haven't met my commitment to him, that we would build a team that would be able to win Stanley Cups."

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

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Several NHL teams made headlines with significant roster changes this summer, particularly in the Metropolitan Division.

But the New York Islanders are going to have a very similar look when they begin their 2015-16 season on Oct. 9 against the Chicago Blackhawks. It's a testament to the belief general manager Garth Snow has in the young core led by captain John Tavares, who will turn 25 during training camp.

Including Tavares, the Islanders could potentially have more than 10 players drafted by Snow since he began rebuilding them in 2008. And after a 101-point season that saw the Islanders fall two goals short of advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, several young players are expected to build off 2014-15.

"We have a lot of players that still have term on their contracts," Snow said. "We're looking for our younger players to take another step in the right direction, guys like Ryan Strome, Brock Nelson, Anders Lee … they're all good, young players that had quality seasons and they're just going to keep getting better."

The New York Islanders won 47 games last season but once again couldn't get out of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing a seven-game series against the Washington Capitals. They're essentially returning the same group and hoping their younger players will continue to evolve.

Here are three questions facing the Islanders this season:

The New York Islanders have assembled a talented group of young players over the past seven years, but they're still trying to reach the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 1993.

They enter this season with a new home. After playing at Nassau Coliseum since 1972, the Islanders begin their first season at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Oct. 9 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

With another year of seasoning under their belts and the arena issue in the rearview mirror, it's time for the Islanders to prove they are a Stanley Cup contender.

Here are four reasons for the Islanders to be optimistic:

The New York Islanders entered the 2015 NHL Draft without a first-round pick after trading it to the Buffalo Sabres for forward Thomas Vanek in October 2013.

But Islanders general manager Garth Snow was determined to get back into the first round, and was able to do so when he traded defense prospect Griffin Reinhart to the Edmonton Oilers for the 16th and 33rd selections. Snow drafted center Mathew Barzal at No. 16, then traded No. 33 and No. 72 to the Tampa Bay Lightning for another first-round pick, which was used to select forward Anthony Beauvillier at No. 28.

Many of Snow's picks have reached the NHL since he began rebuilding the roster in 2008.

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