Predicting the 10 Best Offenses in the NHL for the 2015-16 Season

Thirty years ago, in 1985-86, Wayne Gretzky scored 215 points to set the all-time NHL single-season points record. That same year, 20 players scored more than the 87 points that earned Jamie Benn the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer last season, according to Hockey Reference.

Similarly, Alex Ovechkin's now-dominant 53-goal season would only have tied him for fifth place in the goal-scoring race back in the mid-80s, alongside Michel Goulet. Gretzky actually scored just 52 goals for the Edmonton Oilers in 1985-86—he barely made the top three in goal-scoring on his own team!

Gretzky's linemate Jari Kurri collected 68 goals that year, leading the league, while another Oiler, Glenn Anderson, scored 54. Also ahead of Ovechkin's current benchmark, Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders notched 61 goals in 1985-86 and Tim Kerr of the Philadelphia Flyers had 58.

The point? It is downright tough to put up points in the National Hockey League these days. Tight defensive systems that emphasize low-risk hockey and bigger, better athletes tending goal are making it harder and harder for the game's top snipers to challenge for individual scoring records in a not-very-wide-open era.

This slideshow spotlights the 10 teams that look like they're best positioned to get the biscuit in the basket next season.

Interestingly, there's not one formula for success. Some teams rely heavily on their skilled top forwards, while others count on depth throughout their lineup. Others boast supremely talented offensive defensemen and take advantage of their sublime power plays.

Of course, the teams that hold down the top spots on the list look like they'll be checking a few of those boxes in 2015-16.

If you want to see goals, these are the NHL teams to watch.

10. Ottawa Senators

Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

2014-15 Stats: 238 goals (ninth overall), 31.0 shots per game (T-eighth overall), power-play percentage of 16.8 (T-21st overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• Erik Karlsson (21-45-66, 6 PPG)
• Mark Stone (26-38-64, 5 PPG)
• Kyle Turris (24-40-64, 4 PPG)
• Bobby Ryan (18-36-54, 5 PPG)
• Mike Hoffman (27-21-48, 1 PPG)
• Mika Zibanejad (20-26-46, 4 PPG)

Notable Additions: none.

Outlook for 2015-16

The Ottawa Senators' attack is spearheaded by defenseman Erik Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner who has broken the 70-point plateau twice in his six-year NHL career. Karlsson hit a very respectable 66 points last season—leading all NHL defensemen, as well as his entire team, including the forwards.

In 2014-15, Karlsson got some offensive help from two breakout Senators forwards. Mike Hoffman jumped from three goals the previous year up to 27, while Mark Stone caught fire down the stretch and increased his goal total from four to 26.

Guiding Ottawa into a playoff spot after he replaced Paul MacLean before the season was half over, coach Dave Cameron should be able to extract even more offense from his team—and boost what was a moribund power play—in his first full year behind the bench in 2015-16.

9. Detroit Red Wings

Paul Battaglia/Associated Press

2014-15 Stats: 262 goals (12th overall), 29.6 shots per game (T-18th overall), power-play percentage of 23.8 (second overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• Henrik Zetterberg (17-49-66, 4 PPG)
• Pavel Datsyuk (26-39-65, 8 PPG)
• Tomas Tatar (29-27-56, 9 PPG)
• Gustav Nyquist (27-27-54, 14 PPG)
• Justin Abdelkader (23-21-44, 8 PPG)

Notable Additions: Mike Green (D) and Brad Richards (C).

Outlook for 2015-16

After finishing just outside the Top 10 in goals last season, expect to see the Detroit Red Wings move up the ranks in 2015-16.

The biggest reason? The Red Wings' young players are taking on more and more offensive responsibility with good results. Gustav Nyquist has become one of the top producers in the league with the man advantage, while Tomas Tatar scores highlight-reel goals with ever-increasing frequency—jumping from a solid 19-goal performance in his first full NHL season in 2013-14 to 29 last year, which led his team.

The Wings are also hopeful they've finally locked down the right-shot offensive defenseman they've been seeking by signing Mike Green to a three-year, $18 million free-agent contract on July 1, per General Fanager.

If Green lives up to general manager Ken Holland's projections, he'll help spark the Red Wings' return to their old-style razzle-dazzle next season.

8. Columbus Blue Jackets

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

2014-15 Stats: 236 goals (T-10th overall), 28.9 shots per game (24th overall), power-play percentage of 21.7 (fifth overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• Nick Foligno (31-42-73, 11 PPG)
• Ryan Johansen (26-45-71, 7 PPG)
• Scott Hartnell (28-32-60, 8 PPG)
• Cam Atkinson (22-18-40, 7 PPG)

Notable Additions: Brandon Saad (LW), David Clarkson (RW) and Gregory Campbell (C).

Outlook for 2015-16

One of the hottest teams in the NHL down the stretch last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets didn't make the playoffs. Still, they did show they've got one of the league's top offenses when most of their lineup is healthy.

The Jackets gave up center Artem Anisimov and young Slovak sniper Marko Dano this summer, but they acquired one of the biggest prizes of the offseason in Brandon Saad, who should give the team a boost offensively.

Though he played three games for Columbus after being acquired at the trade deadline before he suffered a season-ending injury, David Clarkson has been included as a new addition to the Blue Jackets lineup as he's basically an unknown entity in Columbus. Now 31, it'll be a win for Clarkson and the Blue Jackets if he stays healthy and regains even half the offensive form he showed when he scored 30 goals for the New Jersey Devils back in 2011-12

7. St. Louis Blues

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

2014-15 Stats: 248 goals (fifth overall), 30.9 shots per game (T-10th overall), power-play percentage of 22.3 (fourth overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• Vladimir Tarasenko (37-36-73, 8 PPG)
• Alexander Steen (24-40-64, 8 PPG)
• Jaden Schwartz (28-35-63, 8 PPG)
• David Backes (26-32-58, 10 PPG)

Notable Additions: Troy Brouwer (RW).

Outlook for 2015-16

Another early playoff exit for the St. Louis Blues makes it easy to forget the team had an excellent regular season. The Blues finished 2014-15 with 109 points—good enough to tie the Anaheim Ducks for top spot in the Western Conference, though St. Louis lost the tiebreaker.

A lot of that regular-season success was built on offense, especially the breakout season from budding superstar Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blues' power play was also effective and featured a wide array of scoring options.

Therefore, maybe it's not so crazy St. Louis elected to stick with coach Ken Hitchcock and make only one significant change to its offensive group, trading slick T.J. Oshie to the Washington Capitals in exchange for the bigger, grittier Troy Brouwer.

Brouwer posted his second straight 20-plus goal season with the Capitals last season and has been a mainstay on the excellent Washington power play—his eight goals were second on the team behind Alex Ovechkin. Brouwer should help provide a new type of threat for a Blues team that is already very good with the man advantage.

6. New York Islanders

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2014-15 Stats: 252 goals (T-third overall), 33.8 shots per game (second overall), power-play percentage of 18.7 (16th overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• John Tavares (38-48-86, 13 PPG)
• Kyle Okposo (18-33-51, 6 PPG)
• Ryan Strome (17-33-50, 1 PPG)
• Brock Nelson (20-22-42, 10 PPG)
• Anders Lee (25-16-41, 5 PPG)

Notable Additions: none.

Outlook for 2015-16

After climbing from 16th place offensively in 2013-14 into a tie for third in goals scored last year, it's safe to say the New York Islanders are finding their stride.

Leader John Tavares challenged for the Art Ross Trophy down to the season's final days. His key wingman Kyle Okposo continued to shine despite missing 22 games with an eye injury. The Islanders were further boosted up front by emerging talents Anders Lee, Brock Nelson and Ryan Strome.

On the back end, Nick Leddy (37 points) and Johnny Boychuk (35 points) both proved they could contribute to the team's scoring on top of playing sound defensive hockey.

When the Islanders move to their new home in Brooklyn this fall, don't expect to see them take another giant step forward. In fact, their offense may dip slightly.

They'll still score goals, but their regular-season focus will likely be on establishing a solid foundation that will help the team break through to the later rounds of the playoffs in future years.

5. Chicago Blackhawks

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

2014-15 Stats: 229 goals (16th overall), 33.9 shots per game (first overall), power-play percentage of 17.6 (20th overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• Jonathan Toews (28-38-66, 6 PPG)
• Patrick Kane (27-37-64, 6 PPG)
• Marian Hossa (22-39-61, 6 PPG)
• Teuvo Teravainen (4-5-9, 0 PPG)

Notable Additions: Artem Anisimov (C), Marko Dano (RW), Ryan Garbutt (LW), Trevor Daley (D) and Viktor Tikhonov (RW).

Outlook for 2015-16

The Chicago Blackhawks 16th-place finish in total offense for last season is a bit deceptive. The team was ranked ninth overall on February 25, the day Patrick Kane was sidelined for the remainder of the regular season with a broken collarbone.

Before he was hurt, Kane looked like he'd be in the running for the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer. After he returned for Chicago's entire Stanley Cup playoff run, Kane tied Tyler Johnson for top spot in the postseason scoring race with 23 points in 23 games.

Though the Blackhawks have undergone some big changes this offseason, they've brought in some solid replacements on the scoring front to make up for the departures of Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp and Brad Richards.

With the help of the new arrivals, if Kane and Toews can stay healthy and Teuvo Teravainen delivers like he did in the playoffs, the Blackhawks will once again be one of the NHL's top offensive threats in 2015-16.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

2014-15 Stats: 221 goals (19th overall), 31.6 shots per game (fourth overall), power-play percentage of 19.3 (T-ninth overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• Sidney Crosby (28-56-84, 10 PPG)
• Evgeni Malkin (28-42-70, 9 PPG)
• Kris Letang (11-43-54, 2 PPG)
• Patric Hornqvist (25-26-51, 6 PPG)
• Chris Kunitz (17-23-40, 9 PPG)

Notable Additions: Phil Kessel (RW) and Nick Bonino (C).

Outlook for 2015-16

In an effort to boost their scoring after a disappointing 2014-15 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins added one of the best sharpshooters in the game, right wing Phil Kessel. He should add at least another 30 goals to Pittsburgh's offense next year.

The Penguins should also fare better offensively if their top scorers spend less time on the injured reserve list in 2015-16. All of the team's top threats missed games with injuries or illnesses, while right wing Pascal Dupuis and defenseman Olli Maatta were lost for the better part of the season after serious health scares.

With coach Mike Johnston ready for his second year at the NHL level, a healthier group of skaters and new addition Kessel, expect to see the Penguins back where they belong: among the league's top-ranked offenses.

3. Dallas Stars

LM Otero/Associated Press

2014-15 Stats: 261 goals (second overall), 31.2 shots per game (seventh overall), power-play percentage of 19.0 (T-11th overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• Tyler Seguin (37-40-77, 6 PPG)
• Jamie Benn (35-52-87, 13 PPG)
• Jason Spezza (17-45-62, 4 PPG)
• John Klingberg (11-29-40, 2 PPG)

Notable Additions: Patrick Sharp (LW).

Outlook for 2015-16

Though the Dallas Stars slipped back out of the playoff picture in 2014-15, the team took significant strides forward in its long-term plan. A patchwork defense started to take shape around youngsters such as Jyrki Jokipakka and Patrik Nemeth. Most intriguingly, 22-year-old Swede John Klingberg broke the 40-point plateau in just 65 games after starting his NHL career in mid-November.

Next year, the Stars will get a full season out of Klingberg, as well as Tyler Seguin. The super center was in contention for the Art Ross Trophy until mid-February, when he went down with a knee injury that caused him to miss 10 games. Seguin ultimately finished seventh in the scoring race, 10 points behind his linemate and the eventual Art Ross winner, Jamie Benn.

Dallas made just one significant offensive acquisition this offseason, but it was a big one. Patrick Sharp will join Jason Spezza in providing veteran leadership and offensive versatility.

Expect the Stars offense to remain formidable as the team's defense and goaltending tighten up, moving Dallas back into the playoff picture.

2. Washington Capitals

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

2014-15 Stats: 242 goals (T-sixth overall), 29.5 shots per game (20th overall), power-play percentage of 25.3 (first overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• Alex Ovechkin (53-28-81, 25 PPG)
• Nicklas Backstrom (18-60-78, 3 PPG)
• John Carlson (12-43-55, 3 PPG)
• Marcus Johansson (20-27-47, 3 PPG)

Notable Additions: T.J. Oshie (RW) and Justin Williams (RW).

Outlook for 2015-16

When talk turns to the NHL's best offensive duos, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks are the reigning titleholders—closely challenged by Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars.

Over in Washington, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have something pretty special going themselves, especially with the man advantage. Ovechkin led the league by a mile with 25 power-play goals last season—Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks in second had 19. 

That power-play productivity is part of the reason why Ovechkin's the only player who can crack the 50-goal plateau with any regularity in today's NHL—a feat he has accomplished six times in his 10-year career to date.

Expect the six-time Rocket Richard winner's output to be amplified even more this season by the addition of T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams—two skilled forwards with a knack for scoring big goals at key moments.

The Washington Capitals are a team on the rise and should be great fun to watch in 2015-16.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

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2014-15 Stats: 262 goals (first overall), 29.6 shots per game (T-18th overall), power-play percentage of 18.8 (T-13th overall), per NHL.com.

Key Offensive Players

• Steven Stamkos (43-29-72, 13 PPG)
• Tyler Johnson (29-43-72, 8 PPG)
• Nikita Kucherov (29-36-65, 2 PPG)
• Ryan Callahan (24-30-54, 10 PPG)
• Ondrej Palat (16-47-63, 3 PPG)

Notable Additions: none.

Outlook for 2015-16

Offensive options are what made the Tampa Bay Lightning the top-scoring team of the 2014-15 regular season—and the Eastern Conference Champions.

Two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner Steven Stamkos led the team with 43 goals, of which 13 game on the power play, but he was deftly supported by the Triplets line of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov—all under age 25 last season and all hitting lofty career highs in points.

After all their success in 2014-15, the Lightning haven't made any major changes to their roster this summer. On the back end, the Tampa Bay offense should get a boost next year from a full season by towering defenseman Victor Hedman. He posted three goals and four assists in his first three games before being sidelined less than two weeks into the season with a fractured finger that caused him to miss 18 games.

The Lightning are for real and will once again be the team to beat offensively in 2015-16.

All stats courtesy of NHL.com.