from Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic,

At the end of the first quarter, five teams were on pace for a 20-plus-point regular-season improvement, a list led by the Canucks, but which also included the Detroit Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings, the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers. Detroit’s reward was winning the Patrick Kane sweepstakes. Kane will debut with the Red Wings at some point next week, and once the rust flakes off, the Red Wings could suddenly boast one of the most watchable trios in the league, if Kane does — as expected — land on a line with Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat.

Perhaps what’s most remarkable of all — and is a stat you probably won’t find on any official NHL website — is that 14 out of the NHL’s 32 teams were either at or below .500 on the day the first quarter officially ended. That is a difficult level of “meh” to achieve in an era when the league awards a bonus point every time a game goes to overtime.

Is this parity? Or mediocrity? Choose for yourself.

The only plus to the sputtering start for so many teams is the way it keeps the playoff races interesting and close.

There isn’t a single club that gives off a powerful aura — that they are strong Stanley Cup contenders. Too many teams with too many leaky moments — now anyway.

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