NHL-Profiles of Eastern Conference teams

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. - - BUFFALO SABRES 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. - - DETROIT RED WINGS 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. - - FLORIDA PANTHERS 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. - - 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. - - OTTAWA SENATORS 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. - - TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 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. - - 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. - - METROPOLITAN DIVISION CAROLINA HURRICANES 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. - - COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 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. - - NEW JERSEY DEVILS 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. - - 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. - - 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. - - 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. - - 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. - - 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. (Compiled by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)