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5 storylines that dominated hockey in 2015

Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images Sport / Getty

There were plenty of compelling and recurring NHL storylines in 2015, but not all of them were positive.

One of the league's brightest stars became the subject of a police investigation not long after leading his team to another Stanley Cup championship.

Elsewhere, the NHL began to embrace change in a number of ways, changing its format for deciding games, allowing coaches to formally question controversial calls, and advancing the expansion process.

Here are the five NHL storylines that dominated the headlines in 2015:

Patrick Kane

Less than two months after leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a third title in six years, Kane was accused of sexual assault by a woman in upstate New York, launching an investigation that lasted for months and caused many to question their fandom.

The situation reached a boiling point when the team allowed him to attend training camp and made him available to reporters, while Kane declined to comment on the investigation.

He ultimately wasn't charged, and the Blackhawks star is now enjoying another dominant season on the ice, making his success one of the most complicated issues in the game.

3-on-3 overtime

The smartest move the NHL made in 2015 was the introduction of 3-on-3 overtime.

Along with being wildly exciting, the new format has dramatically reduced the number of shootouts.

It was discussed and debated repeatedly by the NHL's competition committee and board of governors before being approved over the summer, and the league's brass must be thrilled with the results.

Rarely has a format change been such an immediate, definitive success, but 3-on-3 overtime is can't-miss television and one of the most talked-about adjustments in years.

Fans, media members, and league executives don't typically agree on much, but the new overtime rules have been universally embraced.

Connor McDavid's arrival

For the NHL's bottom feeders, the second half of the 2014-15 season was all about the Connor McDavid sweepstakes.

The subject of tanking for the No. 1 overall pick dominated hockey discourse for months, as the forward touted as the next generational talent tore up the OHL with the Erie Otters.

The Buffalo Sabres had the NHL's worst record at season's end, but the Edmonton Oilers won the draft lottery and the right to select McDavid, giving them their fourth first-overall pick in the last six years.

The 18-year-old made an immediate impact, claiming rookie of the month honors for October after notching 12 points in his first 13 NHL games before suffering a broken clavicle that sidelined him indefinitely.

Steven Stamkos' future

The Tampa Bay Lightning captain authored a 43-goal season in 2014-15, guiding his club to a berth in the Stanley Cup Final, but after the Blackhawks defeated the Lightning, the focus shifted to his not-so-distant future.

Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman said signing Stamkos to a contract extension was his top offseason priority, but the summer came and went without a new deal, prompting fans and members of the media to speculate that the 25-year-old pending free agent doesn't plan to return.

Stamkos denied those rumors and said there was no rift between himself and head coach Jon Cooper. He also claimed that his "like" of a tweet sharing a story asking if the Toronto Maple Leafs should pursue him wasn't intentional.

He'll be an unrestricted free agent if no extension is agreed upon before July 1, so this is one story that will continue to dominate hockey talk in 2016.

Expansion

The idea of expanding the NHL has been gaining steam over the last couple of years, but the lure of Las Vegas and the new, more stable nature of the Quebec hockey market made the league's latest exploration a trending topic in 2015.

The NHL chose to accept formal applications from the two regions and multiple stages of the process have now been completed, but the league is taking its time gauging whether expansion is feasible and there's still no timetable for a decision.

Much like Stamkos' future, expansion will surely be a hot-button issue next year as well.

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