(The 2014-15 NHL season is nearly upon us, and attempting to handicap the winners and losers can sometimes leave us speechless. So we decided to break down all 30 teams with the next best thing to words: Emojis!)

Last Season In Emojis

View photos

Last Season, In Summary

It was dicey at times, but in the end the Detroit Red Wings managed to keep their playoff streak alive for a 23rd consecutive season, the longest among the four major sports leagues. They grabbed the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference thanks to a 39-28-15 (93 pts.) record, taking 13 of the final 20 points available to them.

Detroit didn’t just make the playoffs, they basically survived a regular season where they were second in the NHL in man-games lost (412). Only seven skaters reached the 70-game mark, with the likes of captain Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk dressing for just 45 of them.

In the postseason, the Red Wings were knocked out in the first round for the second time in three seasons, this one coming in five games to the Boston Bruins.

Entering 2014-15, the Red Wings face questions about the future of their head coach, the health of their older stars and if they’re good enough to be playing playoff hockey for a 24th straight spring.

Last Season’s Definitive Highlight

Oh, Gustav, you so fine, you so fine you blow my mind. Hey, Gustav!

Off-Season Transactions

There wasn’t much turnover in HockeyTown during the summer. General manager Ken Holland tried to lure a free agent defenseman to town, but had no luck. The only blueliners he managed to sign were his own: Kyle Quincey (two years, $8.5 million) and Danny DeKeyser (two years, $4.375 million).

The only new faces coming in are Kevin Porter and Andy Miele, who will spend most of their time in Grand Rapids of the AHL. Leaving HockeyTown were David Legwand, a trade deadline day pick who signed in Ottawa; Cory Emmerton, who took his talents to the KHL; and Jordin Tootoo, who was bought out in June and is in camp with the Devils on a tryout.

After playing only 30 games in two season, Mikael Samuelsson signed in Sweden. Todd Bertuzzi won’t be coming back. And finally, Daniel Alfredsson remains unsigned and uncertain if he’ll play again as he battles through a back injury.

View photos

Story continues