Oct 5 (Reuters) - Following are brief profiles of the 16 teams in the Eastern Conference ahead of the 2015-16 National Hockey League (NHL) season.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
BOSTON BRUINS
Head coach: Claude Julien
2014-15 record: 41-27-14 (Fell just short of extending streak of seven consecutive playoff appearances)
Missing the playoffs triggered an offseason of change in Boston and the team's success will largely depend on how its aging core and promising young talent perform in front of former Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Tuukka Rask.
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Head coach: Dan Bylsma
2014-15 record: 23-51-8 (Finished in last place overall and missed playoffs for a fourth consecutive season)
Jack Eichel, the most touted American-born NHL prospect in years, will be among a talented group of top-six forwards that should keep Buffalo from a third consecutive last-place finish.
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Head coach: Jeff Blashill
2014-15 record: 43-25-14 (Reached playoffs for a 24th straight season, the longest active streak in North American professional sports)
Detroit added veteran forward Brad Richards and defenseman Mike Green to a roster that is largely the same as last season but the biggest change will be behind the bench as first-year coach Jeff Blashill will be calling the shots.
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Head coach: Gerard Gallant
2014-15 record: 38-29-15 (Enjoyed a 25-point improvement over previous campaign but still missed playoffs)
Last season's rookie of the year Aaron Ekblad heads a first-rate defensive unit while prolific scorer Jaromir Jagr, 43, will try to add a boost of confidence to a work-in-progress offense.
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MONTREAL CANADIENS
Head coach: Michel Therrien
2014-15 record: 50-22-10 (Best regular season in 26 years but fell in second round of playoffs)
With the league's best goalie in Carey Price and a top two-way defensive pairing in P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov, Montreal will once again have their sights set on the Stanley Cup.
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Head coach: Dave Cameron
2014-15 record: 43-26-13 (Enjoyed one the greatest late-season runs to secure a playoff berth)
Senators will be counting on the youngsters who inspired last season's Cinderella run to make the playoffs if they are to perform right out of the gate and ensure that a similar feat will not be required.
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Head coach: Jon Cooper
2014-15 record: 50-24-8 (Beat three Original Six teams en route to the Stanley Cup final, where they lost to Chicago)
Led by Steven Stamkos, the NHL's top-scoring team from last season returns mostly intact and will be expected to make another run at a Stanley Cup.
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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Head coach: Mike Babcock
2014-15 record: 30-44-8 (Were mathematically eliminated from playoffs with one month left in the regular season)
Despite many offseason changes, Toronto are in the early stages of a full organizational rebuild and will carry no expectations for immediate success into the new campaign.
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METROPOLITAN DIVISION
Head coach: Bill Peters
2014-15 record: 30-41-11 (Missed Stanley Cup Playoffs for sixth straight year)
Poor results the last few years have allowed Carolina to stock up on young talent, including 2015 first-round pick Noah Hanifin, but the group will need to step up ahead of schedule for the team to compete for a playoff spot.
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Head coach: Todd Richards
2014-15 record: 42-35-5 (Early-season expectations of a breakout campaign were ultimately undone by injuries)
Blue Jackets boast plenty of scoring depth but will need an improvement from what has been a porous defense if they want to make the playoffs for a second time in three years.
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Head coach: John Hynes
2014-15 record: 32-36-14 (Coach was fired 36 games into the 82-game campaign while the team was in midst of recording their worst record in over 20 seasons)
Goalie Cory Schneider is the one consistent on the team but there is little to suggest an offense that finished 28th in the NHL last season has improved enough to give the team a chance.
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NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Head coach: Jack Capuano
2014-15 record: 47-28-7 (Enjoyed their best season since 1984 but were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs for the seventh straight time, dating back to 1994)
The Islanders' core group, led by captain John Tavares, are only expected to get better and the team appears to have all the pieces in place to build on last season's first-round playoff loss.
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NEW YORK RANGERS
Head coach: Alain Vigneault
2014-15 record: 53-22-7 (Finished with the NHL's best record but lost the decisive seventh game in the penultimate round of the playoffs)
Rock-solid Swedish goalie Henrik Lundqvist, offensive weapons and a talented defensive corp should get the Blueshirts back to at least the conference finals.
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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Head coach: Dave Hakstol
2014-15 record: 33-31-18 (Most regulation losses since the 2009-10 season and missed the playoffs for a second time in three years)
Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux will once again be counted on to carry the load on offense but questions on defense could catch up to a team with a lack of other scoring options.
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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Head coach: Mike Johnston
2014-15 record: 43-27-12 (Lost the first-round playoff series in five games for their quickest postseason exit since 2007)
Acquired high-scoring winger Phil Kessel, whose speed and lethal release should help a team that, outside of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, has had trouble scoring.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Head coach: Barry Trotz
2014-15 record: 45-26-11 (Squandered a 3-1 series lead that cost them a trip to their third conference finals in franchise history)
Alex Ovechkin once again powered a team that had the sixth-best offense last season while goalie Braden Holtby is coming off a career year. Adding forwards T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams has many now calling Washington a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
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