SUNRISE, Fla. -- After being the most improved team in the NHL last season, the Florida Panthers are confident they can take the next step in 2015-16 and push their way into the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in more than a decade.
Here are three X-factors that will impact whether the Panthers will be able to accomplish their goal:
Maintaining the status quo: After making a 25-point from 2013-14, the Panthers essentially decided their personnel was good enough as it was and continued improvement from some of their promising young players would propel them into the playoffs in 2015-16.