OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators will be an interesting team this season because the elements that made them the success story of the final two months of last season also present the biggest question marks.

Their charge to the Stanley Cup Playoffs was fueled by a rookie coach, a goaltender making his NHL debut, and a group of young players who successfully handled bigger roles and more responsibility.

Here are three questions the Senators face this season:

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

OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators made history with their late-season run to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.

They're hoping the growth of the young players who helped them to a 23-4-4 record down the stretch will ensure a similar rally won't be needed to make the 2016 postseason.

"We know [what happened last season is] not an annual thing," Senators general manager Bryan Murray said. "We can't put ourselves in a position early where we have to have that as another event next year. I expect the team to be better.

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

WINNIPEG -- It's been a fairly uneventful offseason for the Winnipeg Jets since they concluded a very eventful run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but key decisions are on the horizon.

The Jets' 2014-15 season included a blockbuster trade that sent forward Evander Kane to the Buffalo Sabres and a stretch drive starring goaltender Ondrej Pavelec that led to the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2007, when it was the Atlanta Thrashers. A four-game sweep by the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference First Round brought the season to an abrupt end.

Since then, the Jets have seen versatile forward Michael Frolik depart for the Calgary Flames as a free agent. Two other veteran forwards, Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty, were not re-signed.

Winnipeg did re-sign forward Drew Stafford, a key piece of the Kane trade, and brought back forward Alexander Burmistrov after a two-year hiatus in the Kontinental Hockey League.

WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets took a big step last season by reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the franchise relocated from Atlanta for the 2011-12 season.

Though ending the franchise's playoff drought helped to validate the long-term plans of general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, the Jets have endured some challenges since. They added forward Alexander Burmistrov from the Kontinental Hockey League this summer, but capable veteran forwards Michael Frolik, Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty all departed.

Here are three questions facing the Jets this season:

WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets have to find a way to top last season.

For years, merely reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs had been a key goal for the Jets. The franchise had not reached the playoffs since 2007, when it played as the Atlanta Thrashers, and an ever-changing group of players had come and gone without a trip to the postseason.

The Jets finally reached the playoffs last season, though the good times ended quickly in a sweep by the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference First Round. Still, the Jets managed to combine the test of a late-season playoff race with further establishing MTS Centre as one of the loudest and most intimidating buildings in the NHL.

General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has patiently gone about trying to rebuild the Jets' prospect base from the bottom up. His moves began to pay off last season, and he has more prospects on the way for coach Paul Maurice.

Here are four reasons for optimism for the Jets:

WINNIPEG -- Solid scouting and player development are the two pillars on which the Winnipeg Jets are building their organization.

After inheriting a farm system bereft of talent in 2011, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has rebuilt the prospect base slowly and methodically.

"I don't want to see [Cheveldayoff] change the organization's draft-and-develop approach," Jets coach Paul Maurice told Jets TV on July 3. "I like the young players we've got. We're building something here."

Here is a look at the Jets' 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.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins' hopes of a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs were undone by an uncharacteristically sluggish offense.

General manager Jim Rutherford sought to rectify that during the offseason.

After seeing several Penguins, including veteran defenseman Paul Martin, sign elsewhere shortly after free agency opened at noon on July 1, Pittsburgh made arguably the day's most explosive move when it acquired Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel in a trade shortly before 2 p.m.

After being eliminated in five games by the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference First Round, Rutherford said he would bring in at least one top-six wing, most likely by trade, to help Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

"We set out this offseason to add some more skill on the wing, some more speed," Rutherford said. "I certainly think we covered that."

PITTSBURGH -- After limping into the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs and exiting after five games, the Pittsburgh Penguins made significant additions during the offseason with the goal of retooling for another Stanley Cup run.

The Penguins attempted to bolster their faltering offense through trades and free agent acquisitions, but all that attention could have been to the detriment of their defense. New forwards Phil Kessel, Eric Fehr and Nick Bonino are expected to improve an offense that averaged 1.61 regulation goals during its final 18 games of the regular season.

Pittsburgh expects to be better in 2015-16, but here are three questions the Penguins must answer for that to happen:

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a long list of highly touted defensemen prospects for several seasons. The time has finally come for those prospects to become integral pieces on Pittsburgh's blue line.

Defenseman Derrick Pouliot is a lock to make Pittsburgh's opening-night roster and could be a top-four defenseman. Defenseman Brian Dumoulin will make a run at a full-time job after sporadic NHL stints the past two seasons.

With the Penguins' prospects maturing, Pittsburgh's defensive future is now.

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

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins struggled down the stretch last season before earning the final Stanley Cup Playoffs berth from the Eastern Conference. They are shooting a lot higher this season.

The Penguins led the Metropolitan Division for much of last season before fading and needing to defeat the last-place Buffalo Sabres on the final night of the regular season. But with a returning core of forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, defenseman Kris Letang, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, plus newcomer Phil Kessel, the Penguins are expecting to return to the top of the conference in Mike Johnston's second season as coach.

Here are four reasons for the Penguins to be optimistic: