The biggest question surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers this season is how their new coach, Dave Hakstol, will handle the adjustment from NCAA hockey to the NHL.

Hakstol is the first coach to jump from the college ranks to the NHL without having played or coached in the League since the Calgary Flames hired Bob Johnson in 1982. Flyers general manager Ron Hextall is confident Hakstol will be a success.

"I think Dave is a really good leader," Hextall said. "I think that's the biggest thing that our group is going to notice, his leadership skills. They're off the charts. From what I knew prior, watching him coach and watching him operate, the way he carries himself, his work ethic, he's very calm under pressure. He's got a lot of really good attributes. When I look at it, Dave was like a player in the draft. You're looking at a guy with potential. So when I looked at Dave it was no different than looking at a player we drafted in this past draft. You see his potential and you get excited."

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

COLUMBUS -- There are high expectations for the Columbus Blue Jackets after a strong finish to the 2014-15 season.

But even with a 12-0-1 finish, the Blue Jackets' 42-35-5 record left them nine points shy of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

"You can't just pick up where you left off," defenseman Kevin Connauton said. "But that run at the end of last year shows our potential."

COLUMBUS – Entering the 2014-15 season, the Columbus Blue Jackets thought they would reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs in consecutive years for the first time in their history.

But injury after injury derailed all hope, and despite having the sixth-best record (36-20-3) in the NHL from Dec. 1 to the end of the season, Columbus missed the playoffs.

Here are three X-factors that will impact the Blue Jackets' postseason chances this season:

TORONTO -- A productive and momentous spring transformed rather swiftly into a summer of change for Brandon Saad.

One minute he was carrying the puck for the Chicago Blackhawks into the Tampa Bay Lightning zone to start a play that would be the final goal of the Stanley Cup Final, and two weeks later he had a change of address.

Saad, 22, knew between the Blackhawks' salary cap situation and the fact he was about to become a restricted free agent that there was a good chance he would be moved. But the trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets happened so fast.

"It definitely was a different process for me, especially since it was the first time I went through something like this," Saad said. "You win a Stanley Cup and you're high on emotions and then a couple weeks later you find yourself on a different team. So it was emotional, but I'm also excited about a new start."

WASHINGTON -- Center Evgeny Kuznetsov is going to have to do his best Nicklas Backstrom impersonation to help the Washington Capitals start off strong this season.

Backstrom, the Capitals' longtime No. 1 center, is expected to miss at least a handful of games in October while he continues to recover from hip surgery he had in May. That means Kuznetsov is expected to be Washington's new No. 1 center for the time being, likely playing between Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie.

TORONTO -- Defenseman Justin Faulk emerged as an offensive force with the Carolina Hurricanes last season.

The Hurricanes were 26th in the NHL standings in 2014-15 with 71 points and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth straight season. But Faulk's 49 points (15 goals) were 12th among NHL defensemen.

He believes he's capable of even more this season.

"I hope I didn't hit my ceiling at 23 years old," Faulk said with a smile while at the NHL's Player Media Tour earlier this month. "I think the biggest thing for me is to be consistent; work hard in practices and games. The best team's best players are the guys who do it every day. That is what I am working toward."

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

A new era is dawning for the New Jersey Devils.

Gone is longtime president and general manager Lou Lamoriello, who had run the team since 1987 and built New Jersey's three Stanley Cup-winning teams (1995, 2000, 2003). He's been replaced by former Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero, who brought in John Hynes, coach of the Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate, to take over behind the bench.

There's a lot of anticipation about what kind of team the Devils will be under Hynes, who at 40 is the youngest coach in the League.

Several challenges await New Jersey Devils coach John Hynes in his first season as an NHL coach.

The most obvious being his ability to devise a strategy that will generate more offensive support for goaltender Cory Schneider.

Hynes sounds ready to hit the ground running and is more than willing to deal with any situation the Devils may face, good or bad. He knows there will be an adjustment period after spending the previous five seasons in the American Hockey League as coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins' affiliate.

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

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for six straight seasons. While no one in the organization is making any lofty pronouncements about 2015-16, the vibe surrounding the team is changing.

The Hurricanes are hoping to take another step in a youth movement while looking for bounce-back seasons from a handful of veterans. Carolina's non-shootout total of 183 goals was 27th in the NHL, and the offense must improve in order for the Hurricanes to make any noise in the Eastern Conference standings.

Management made a few roster adjustments in the offseason, but key personnel decisions loom as Carolina tries to forge a winning identity in 2015-16.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes' six-year absence from the Stanley Cup Playoffs has led management to evaluate the long-term direction of the franchise. With a full season under their belts, general manager Ron Francis and coach Bill Peters will use 2015-16 to make a number of critical decisions.

Here are three X-factors that will have an impact on how quickly change occurs in Carolina:

The cornerstones -- Center Eric Staal and goaltender Cam Ward, the last remaining players from the Hurricanes' 2006 Stanley Cup-winning team, are entering the final seasons of long-term contracts. Their futures with the Hurricanes are unresolved. Each would like to remain, but Francis has explored trades for them during the past two summers.

Staal consistently reached the 70-point plateau for most of his career, but he's dropped to 61 and 54 points, respectively, the past two seasons.