NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

As his franchise began to evolve into one of the NHL's perennial preseason Stanley Cup favorites several seasons ago, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis proclaimed that his team would qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs "10 to 15 years in a row."

The Capitals fell well short of that declaration last season, failing to qualify for the postseason for the first time in seven years. After some organizational introspection, there were significant changes in personnel, management and coaching.

Reinforced by an experienced coaching staff fronted by Barry Trotz and a redesigned defensive corps, the Capitals are convinced that last season was nothing more than an aberration. But in order to prove that notion correct, a lot of things have to go right.

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

It was a statement profound in its simplicity.

In a midsummer interview with CBC, new Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz provided what could be considered an apt assessment of the team he would soon lead.

"There's a big difference between a good team," Trotz told Elliotte Friedman, "and a team with talent."

Washington is undeniably a team with talent. Alex Ovechkin is the NHL's premier goal-scorer. Nicklas Backstrom may be its most underappreciated superstar. Mike Green might not wow fans like he used to, but he is still capable of awe-inspiring rushes.

Yet the Capitals were not a good team last season, at least according to their lofty standards. Their absence from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007 served as proof and an awakening. General manager George McPhee, the franchise's architect for nearly two decades, was not offered an extension. Coach Adam Oates was fired after two seasons.

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

The Arizona Coyotes will try to accomplish what the Phoenix Coyotes failed to do in each of the past two seasons: qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After advancing to the Western Conference Final for the first time in franchise history in 2012, the renamed Coyotes have gone backward. Last season's failure was especially frustrating: They held a playoff berth for most of the season, but an injury to goaltender Mike Smith and an offensive drought left them two points behind the Dallas Stars in the race for the final wild-card position.

"Last year was sort of a funny year," Arizona general manager Don Maloney said. "We scored a little more, but we surprisingly gave up a lot of leads in the third period when in the past we were able to lock things down."

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

The Arizona Coyotes may have changed their name, but the hurdles they face in trying to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs remain the same.

The former Phoenix Coyotes haven't made the postseason since 2011-12, when they got as far as the Western Conference Final. They came up two points short last season, but general manager Don Maloney is confident his team can get back to the playoffs.

"There are lots of good teams out West," he said. "That's OK; I like where we're at. I think our mix is going to be much better. We're always looking to get better, but I don't mind where we're at right now."

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- There have been a lot of changes since the Phoenix Coyotes won their first division title and made an improbable run to the Western Conference Final in the spring of 2012.

The renamed Arizona Coyotes also have new ownership and a pack of new players, many who were born in the 1990s. But general manager Don Maloney knows one thing hasn't changed, a tried-and-true barometer since goaltender Mike Smith came to the desert in the summer of 2011.

"Mike's play is going to determine how far we go," Maloney said.

That was the case in 2011-12, when Smith finished with a 2.21 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in 67 regular-season starts, then dragged the Coyotes past the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first two series victories in franchise history.

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

New Jersey Devils coach Peter DeBoer is happy to keep most of his core group intact this offseason, and is excited to have free-agent forwards Mike Cammalleri and Marty Havlat on board to bolster the offense.

The Devils didn't exactly set the world on fire offensively in 2013-14 and that was a major reason they failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs a second straight season. But DeBoer, in his fourth season with the Devils, is optimistic about the future of his offense, including what is shaping up to be a very productive top nine.

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

New Jersey Devils forward Adam Henrique knows life in and around the locker room will have a different feel this season without Martin Brodeur.

There's still plenty of veteran leadership to go around, and Henrique hopes to be a part of that group.

"I was lucky to be able to play with the guys I did my first year [2011-12]; I came in and made sure I did the right things," Henrique said. "To learn from that group was key to my development, and I feel I've become more of a leader in the room since then and that's the direction I want to continue to take."

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

For the first time since the franchise's inception in 1998, the Nashville Predators will have a different look behind the bench.

After failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in back-to-back seasons, Predators general manager David Poile, who has also been with the organization since the beginning, opted to fire coach Barry Trotz last April. Three weeks later, the Predators hired Peter Laviolette, who guided the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006.

Laviolette won't be the only fresh face. Seeking more offense, Poile acquired forward James Neal from the Pittsburgh Penguins in June in exchange for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. Neal, 27, scored 88 goals over the past three seasons with the Penguins. Veteran centers Olli Jokinen and Mike Ribeiro were signed as free agents and are expected to play prominent roles.

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season, the Nashville Predators underwent several changes this summer.

The biggest is that Barry Trotz is out after being the only coach in the history of the franchise. Peter Laviolette is in, with the expectation that he can help the team find more ways to score goals.

Patric Hornqvist, who spent his first six professional seasons in Nashville and scored more than 100 goals, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for James Neal.

Predators general manager David Poile, who has been working in that capacity since the franchise's inception in 1998, is confident the changes he made during the offseason will lead to hockey in Nashville well into the spring.

Here are three things that must happen for the Predators to have success this season:

NHL.com continues its preview of the 2014-15 season, which will include in-depth looks at all 30 teams throughout September.

New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello had two primary objectives after his team failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a second straight season in 2013-14.

The first was a long-term commitment to goalie Cory Schneider to let him know that he will be the starter for the foreseeable future. The second was to upgrade an offense that ranked near the bottom of the League in goals and shots per game.

Lamoriello accomplished both in July. Schneider signed a long-term extension that's reportedly worth $42 million over seven years. He also added free-agent forwards Mike Cammalleri and Marty Havlat to help bolster the top six and provide coach Peter DeBoer with a lot more offensive flexibility.