The first month of the NHL season has been fascinating for fans. In the Eastern Conference, it's very much business as usual, as the teams who made the playoffs a year ago look like good bets to do it again. In the Western Conference, there's a definite swing in power—the south is on the rise—and some offseason moves have contributed to the new order of things.
Rookies are impacting the game, special teams make a big difference and elite goaltending remains a major story—something that's been true for 100 years.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the first month of the 2015-16 NHL season.