If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
That is the approach that the Chicago Blackhawks took into the offseason for the second straight summer, as Chicago's team is still very similar to the one that won the Stanley Cup in 2013.
Chicago came up short in its quest for back-to-back titles, but still had a successful 2013-14 campaign as the Blackhawks were one goal away from beating the Los Angeles Kings and returning to the Stanley Cup Final.
Can the Blackhawks put up another Stanley Cup run in 2015? Here is what to look for this season.
Offense
Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa are four household names that make up two-thirds of the team's top six in yet another season. The other two are the young Brandon Saad, who impressed last season, and new addition Brad Richards.
Chicago inked Richards, the former New York Ranger, at a bargain cost and will likely use him as its No. 2 center.
The bottom six is extremely deep as well, boasting names like the pesky Andrew Shaw and Bryan Bickell. Top prospect Teuvo Teravainen, who dipped his toe in the NHL water (or ice) last season, may make a little more of an impact this year.
Scoring goals was certainly not a problem for the Blackhawks last season, as they led the league with 267 tallies - an astonishing 3.26 goals per game. Expect them to put up a very similar number this year.
Defense
The defensive corps in the Windy City is also extremely similar to years past. Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, arguably the best tandem in the NHL, will be the team's top pair on the blue line.
Niklas Hjalmarsson and Nick Leddy once again make up the team's second pairing, and the third pairing will be made up of Johnny Oduya and either Michal Roszival or David Rundblad.
All of the above-mentioned players with the exception of Rundblad (who played in just five games) had a positive plus-minus rating last season. This year will likely be much of the same.
Goaltending
Starter Corey Crawford is an average NHL goalie, but he has proven that he is good enough to win a Stanley Cup with the team in front of him.
Chicago is one of the most talented teams in hockey; so much so that it does not need an elite goalie in order to be one of the elite teams. Crawford's numbers may not reflect his own personal ability, but rather the strength of his teammates.
Nevertheless, Blackhawk fans love their goalie and he has come up huge in big situations time and time again.
Antti Raanta will be Chicago's backup again, and he filled in nicely last season when Crawford was injured. Raanta held a 13-5-5 record with a respectable 2.71 goals against average.
Special Teams
Believe it or not, the Chicago Blackhawks had only the nineteenth-best power play (16.7%) when they won the Stanley Cup in 2013. They improved on that number last year and moved up to tenth (19.5%).
Chicago is not the only team to show that an elite power play is not essential to having an elite team (although it does help). Los Angeles had the fourth-worst power play in all of hockey last season and managed to take home the Stanley Cup.
We should expect the Blackhawk power play to be very similar to last seasons, as it will feature pretty much the same exact players.
The penalty kill, on the other hand, took a major hit last season, dropping from third in 2013 (87.2%) all the way down to nineteenth (81.4%). This was likely a regression back to the mean as the Blackhawks had consistently struggled on the PK before 2013.
Fortunately, the penalty kill struggles did not end up hurting too much last year, as the Blackhawks were the second-least penalized team in the NHL.
Coaching
Head coach Joel Quenneville is one of the best in hockey, and despite his sternness, his players love playing for him. He is one of the main reasons for Chicago's revival that started in 2009 and takes quite a bit of pride in taking his team to four of the past six Western Conference Finals.
Overall Season Outlook
The Blackhawks should enter 2014-15 as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They finished last season third in their division, but did not end up far from first.
It could be plausible to believe that they could take a step back after two extremely long and grueling playoff runs, but Chicago is a team built for success and has an edge on its division rivals in terms of experience.
However, despite the experience, other teams in the Central (which is probably the most competitive division in all of hockey) may be hungrier than Chicago, and the Blackhawks will certainly have a target on their backs.
It will be a fun season to follow the Central Division, and it will be another fun season for Blackhawks fans.
Predicted Record: 50-23-9 (109 points)