NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Predators didn't get much offensive production from their third line last season, but they're hoping some new additions will change that in 2015-16.

The forwards are the biggest question mark in Nashville, but they performed well in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs and should get plenty of scoring chances playing in coach Peter Laviolette's up-tempo system.

Here are three X-factors that will impact whether the Predators can build on last season and make a run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

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

NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Predators had a breakout 2014-15 after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs the two previous seasons, finishing second in the Central Division with 104 points but they were eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference First Round.

The Predators' offseason consisted of a few minor moves, mainly to add depth to their forward group.

"I'm really glad we only made a couple of potential changes to our roster because we've made so many changes in the past several years," Predators general manager David Poile said. "I liked our team last year; I like our team this year. You talk about parity, there is no question there's a lot of parity in the National Hockey League. I think there's a lot of good teams. The good news is, I think we're one of those good teams."

NEW YORK -- The time for the New York Rangers to win the Stanley Cup is right now, and forward Rick Nash knows it.

"I feel like an organization like the Rangers has pressure to win a championship every single year," Nash said Thursday during an appearance at the NHL Powered by Reebok Store to celebrate the release of the first-ever Playmobil NHL figures and playsets. "I think [coach Alain Vigneault] is right when he says failure is not an option. We've been close, and in this business close isn't good enough. We have to be able to get the job done.

"I think our window is right now."

EDMONTON -- Edmonton Oilers legend Mark Messier worked with Connor McDavid on an advertising campaign this summer, but prior to Thursday had never seen the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft play in person.

Messier, who works as a hockey adviser for the Oilers, was here to watch McDavid and the Oilers host the Vancouver Canucks in a preseason game at Rexall Place.

"This is the first time I've seen him live -- obviously, I follow the games on TV -- so I'm looking forward to it," Messier said following the Oilers morning skate. "Meeting Connor this summer and shooting the [Rogers Communications] commercials together, I got to see what a great young man he is and I know he's excited to get the season started."

BOSTON -- As a player, Boston Bruins president Cam Neely was known for his fearlessness.

Neely proved Thursday during a press conference to kick off Bruins media day that life in the front office hasn't tempered his aggressiveness.

When the subject of coach Claude Julien's job security was broached, Julien offered his thoughts on the matter. Neely, the Bruins president, didn't miss a beat when he burst out unprovoked with a soliloquy meant to take some of the heat off the coach.

"I just wanted to jump in on that because I've read some things where people have mentioned that Claude can be on the hot seat. I think it's unfair to say that," Neely said. "[New general manager Don Sweeney] came to us with how he'd like to see the team play. He's had many conversations with Claude about that. But a lot of things happen throughout the course of the year that's not necessarily just on the coach. So I mean it's unfair. I know why certain things are said at times. But it's really unfair to start the season where it's out there where the coach could be on the hot seat. I think it's unfair to Claude."

Can the Anaheim Ducks win the Stanley Cup this season? EA Sports believes they will.

The company behind NHL 16 simulated the 2015-16 season and the result was the Ducks defeating the Montreal Canadiens in seven games to win the Cup for the first time since 2007.

In the simulation, Ducks star forward Corey Perry had 23 points and was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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

VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks made significant and at-times surprising changes in the summer but face familiar questions about their chances of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs again this season.

Much like they were heading into last season, the Canucks are considered a playoff longshot by many in part because of questions about some of those moves they made and in part because other Pacific Division opponents appeared to load up around them during the offseason.

The Calgary Flames, who knocked Vancouver out of the Western Conference First Round in six games last season, Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers all seem improved after finishing behind the Canucks in the Pacific Division. The same can be said for the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference.

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

CHICAGO -- Space has been created in the rafters at United Center to hang another Stanley Cup championship banner, but the Chicago Blackhawks are already planning their next title run.

They will have new faces filling some key roles after yet another offseason of significant roster reshuffling, but most of the core group that has won the Cup three times in the past six seasons returns.

The coaching staff, again led by Joel Quenneville, also returns intact to lead a group that's expecting an early-season energy boost from some new players.

"The feelings that you get after you win is something that you want to do again and you want to keep repeating," said Corey Crawford, who's been the No. 1 goalie for Chicago's past two championships. "It definitely feels great be a champion, but now it doesn't mean anything anymore. We've got to build towards another one."

VANCOUVER – After an offseason of change the Vancouver Canucks are counting on contributions from young players and new second-line center Brandon Sutter, but their return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs could hinge on how well three returning players fare in new roles.

Here are three X-factors that will impact whether the Canucks remain a playoff team:

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks have been down this path twice before, having attempted to defend their 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup championships with a reworked roster the following season.

Neither effort was successful, but they're hopeful the third time is the charm in another effort to hoist the Cup in back-to-back seasons. No team has accomplished the feat since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998, but the Blackhawks go into this season with a fair shot.

Here are three X-factors that will help determine the outcome of that effort: