Does the NHL have too much parity?

In the glory years you had great teams like the Devils and Red Wings that were there year in and year out, the Penguins were in the thick of it and Colorado/Dallas who had great teams they could keep together for awhile.

Now with the the hard cap there are no real great teams for the most let, and even when you do get one they can’t keep their squad together for more than a couple of years.

Of course you want every franchise to be able to get to that point if they’re managed correctly, but part of the fun is to have a mountain to climb over and rivalries that develop from great teams going at it year after year. The NHL feels like a random lottery of mediocrity.

Taking a step back just as they’re getting hateable

You’re proving my point for me

Bruins have done really well the last decade+, Penguins another that comes to mind but their success built off of three franchise players drafted in 3 consecutive years.

Seeing a lot of the same teams make the playoffs year after year with little change. Might be a couple years away in the east from that really shifting, outside of New Jersey possibly getting in this year. Their success has been surprising, but they went and got a goalie, dropped dead weight (Subban) and Hughes has stayed mostly injury free while developing.

In recent seasons the good teams are staying good while the bad are staying bad (Columbus, Chicago, Anaheim, etc.). Some bad teams not bad enough to get a top 3 draft pick most years. Some poorly run teams, some run really well is the difference.