CALGARY -- The Calgary Flames were among the bigger surprises in the NHL last season.

In the second full season of a rebuild, the Flames advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in six years and escaped the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time since winning the Cup in 1989.

With last season's successes come heightened expectations this season.

"The message for our group is no different from last year when we said nobody is expecting a lot from us, we can't pay much attention to it," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said. "The same has to hold true where people after last year may say the expectations have risen and the outside expectation for where this group will be is probably a lot different from a year ago."

Here are three questions facing the Flames this season:

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

CALGARY -- A 20-point increase in the NHL standings -- the biggest jump among teams in the Western Conference -- and a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 2009 signifies progress, but the Calgary Flames aren't satisfied.

"What we're trying to be is a championship team," general manager Brad Treliving said. "We're trying to build a team that has a chance to have long-term success here. ... There's one team at the end of the year that's happy with what they've accomplished. The rest of us are still striving to take steps forward. That's the mode we're in.

"I don't really focus in on rebuilds and what stage of the rebuild. This is about getting better and becoming a good team on a regular basis for a long time. That's the challenge for us."

CALGARY -- The NHL Draft certainly aided the rebuild of the Calgary Flames.

Two of Calgary's top three scorers last season, forwards Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, were drafted by the Flames. At 20 and 22, respectively, they are part of a core that helped the retooling franchise win a Stanley Cup Playoff series for the first time since 2004.

But they're far from the only young talent in the Flames system. Calgary has been stockpiling prospects who could have an impact as soon as this season.

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

CALGARY -- The Calgary Flames made surprising strides in the second year of a rebuild, including a 10-win, 20-point increase in the standings.

The Flames went from 27th in the NHL to third in the Pacific Division in one season, and qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2009. They defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference First Round to win a series for the first time since 2004.

"It was nice what we accomplished last year," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said. "We prefer to look through the windshield and not the rearview mirror. What's in front of us is a great challenge, but I think our guys embraced it in making sure they're prepared for that. We need our young players, but we need our veteran players to continue to take steps forward for us to have success."

The Flames' rebuild began when they traded Jarome Iginla, the longtime face of the franchise, before the 2013 NHL Trade Deadline, and in less than three seasons they've become a playoff threat.

Here are four reasons for the Flames to be optimistic:

BOSTON -- When Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was hired this offseason, he decided he had a mandate to get them back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs while replenishing their prospect pool so they'd be able to have sustained success beyond.

The Bruins restocked at the 2015 NHL Draft by making 10 picks, including five in the first two rounds. Some of those came in trades for defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Milan Lucic.

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

BOSTON -- Despite all the issues the Boston Bruins had last season, they finished within two points of a Stanley Cup Playoff berth.

A win here or there, especially if they fared better than 4-10 in shootouts, and the Bruins would have extended their postseason streak to eight seasons. Instead, they went home at the end of the regular season for the first time since 2007.

The Bruins are banking on a few new faces in the lineup to get them back in the playoffs.

Here are four reasons the Bruins should be optimistic:

BOSTON -- An offseason of change for the Boston Bruins began April 15 with the firing of general manager Peter Chiarelli.

Don Sweeney, who was promoted from assistant GM to replace Chiarelli on May 20, traded defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Milan Lucic on June 26, then made two moves July 1 aiming to improve Boston's youth and depth and get the Bruins back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after they failed to qualify for the first time since 2007.

Here are three questions facing the Bruins entering the season:

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

BOSTON -- It's been an offseason of change for the Boston Bruins, who missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years.

The first significant change came April 15, when general manager Peter Chiarelli was fired and replaced by assistant GM Don Sweeney. After a couple weeks on the job, Sweeney decided to retain coach Claude Julien and his staff once Sweeney felt comfortable they were on the same page about making the Bruins more aggressive.

"They had teed up some clips in meetings and stuff before I even had a chance to sit with them, where we can get up ice and create a little more anxiety in really all three zones, where we defend the blue line and we create some turnovers and get back on offense," Sweeney said. "I think our breakouts have to have a little more flow to it and our forwards are going to have more ownership to have some guys in motion to be able to get back on offense. And that's going to be a work in progress. That's not something you just change overnight."

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

LOS ANGELES -- For the past few seasons, the Los Angeles Kings were the self-described cockroaches of the NHL, seemingly impossible to eliminate no matter how dire the circumstances. It was a remarkable trait in the NHL salary-cap era, and it made their demise all the more profound.

Facing must-win games, the Kings lost 4-2 to the Edmonton Oilers on April 7 and were eliminated from contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Flames two days later. It was the first time a defending Cup champion failed to make the postseason since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007.

Injuries and off-ice issues on defense combined with overuse of goalie Jonathan Quick and defenseman Drew Doughty ultimately cost the Kings.

"This season we were all struggling to find that certain 'it' or whatever you want to call it all year," Kings general manager Dean Lombardi said. "And when it was over, after Edmonton and Calgary, I think the reality is we got what we deserved, and we have nobody to feel sorry for … every time we thought we were going to get out of it because we knew how to win or we had been in big games before, well, that didn't happen. But now we can learn from this."

LOS ANGELES -- The stability of the Los Angeles Kings roster over the past three seasons hasn't allowed for much promotion, but that is likely to change because their Calder Cup champion American Hockey League affiliate is moving to Ontario, Calif.

The hour drive from Staples Center means the Kings can easily make a recall, either for an injury replacement or to give a prospect a quick look.

The Kings lack defensemen and centers in their system, and did not have a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

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