On the Fly: Torts!, Jagr forever, the undefeated Habs, and more

"On the Fly," theScore's NHL roundtable series, continues, with contributions from our NHL team: Justin Bourne, Justin Cuthbert, Josh Gold-Smith, Craig Hagerman, Ian McLaren, Mark Millard, Navin Vaswani, and Ben Whyte.

Torts!

Vaswani: Slow starts doomed Todd Richards in Columbus. The Blue Jackets won five of their first 19 games in 2013, six of 19 to open 2013-14, and six of 23 last season (as deftly pointed out by The Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline). An 0-7-0 start this season doomed Richards, but what's amazing is that he leaves Columbus with a 127-112-21 record, despite those horrific opening months.

The numbers don't lie: Richards was the best coach the Blue Jackets ever had. He's in the Columbus history books thanks to his winning percentage, and the club's two playoff wins in 2014 - the Blue Jackets' first.

But that's all old news now. John Tortorella's tenure in Columbus begins Thursday night. In a way, he's going to have to channel Richards and get the Blue Jackets to finish strong. Columbus isn't as bad as it's looked early on, and it would help if their goalies could, you know, make a save. The club has a .836 save percentage - last in the NHL, obviously. Columbus has allowed 34 goals in seven games. For comparison's sake, Montreal's allowed seven in seven games. A coach is only as good as his goalie.

There's skill on Columbus' roster: Ryan Johansen, Brandon Saad, Jack Johnson, and even Sergei Bobrovsky. There's grit and heart in Brandon Dubinsky and Scott Hartnell. And Tortorella's a winner. He'll make the Blue Jackets better in the short term. The question is: Will his act last longer than a season? It didn't in Vancouver.

Whatever happens, Columbus is going to be little more entertaining to watch the rest of the way, and it's only Oct. 21.

Undefeated, but ...

Millard: The undefeated Montreal Canadiens are atop the standings thanks to their best start in franchise history. Make no mistake, they're a very good hockey team, but they aren't the league's best ... yet.

Look no further than last year's head-to-head matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning: 2-8-1 (playoffs included), outscored 38-21. Until Montreal can beat the Stanley Cup finalists on a consistent basis, they aren't the best team in the Eastern Conference.

That's not looking past the impressive 7-0-0 start, and the improved possession numbers and even-strength shot attempts. None of that can be disregarded. However, the sample size is too small.

Only time will tell if the Canadiens are the real deal, but one thing is certain: Any team with a potential superstar in the making in Alex Galchenyuk, an elite goal-scorer in Max Pacioretty, a game-changing defenseman in P.K. Subban, and the best goaltender in the world in Carey Price is definitely among the league's elite.

Can Krejci keep up the pace?

McLaren: The Boston Bruins' 1B center has rebounded nicely from an injury-plagued 2014-15, with four goals and five assists in five games. While David Krejci's playmaking abilities are no secret, it's the goal-scoring that's a bit of a surprise - his career high stands at 23, and he's only topped 20 twice.

In fact, in 556 games with the Bruins, Krejci's averaging 18 goals and 44 assists for every 82 games played, good for around 0.75 points per game.

Krejci's early success this season has come on a 28.6 shooting percentage - well above his career average - and is likely to level off. And more than half his points have come on the power play, where the Bruins have fared well, rolling at a league-high 38.9 percent success rate.

Last season, only eight players who appeared in more than 60 games averaged a point-per-game or better. While Krejci is clicking with new linemates Matt Beleskey and David Pastrnak, expect his numbers to reflect his typical level of production as the season progresses.

Jagr as gift

Bourne: Alex Ovechkin tallied his 900th career point Tuesday.

Now, he just has to have that exact career again, and he'll only be nine points back of the eternal Jaromir Jagr.

Think about that!

Seven NHL players - like, ever - have played in the NHL at age 43, and only one - Mark Messier in 2003-04 - has exceeded 0.5 points per game. Jagr has opened with seven points in six games (that's above 0.5, for you non-math majors), so I like his chances of joining Mess.

The way Jagr compiles points - using his big body and beautiful hands to create - simply doesn't deteriorate the way it does for guys who rely on pure speed or power. If Jagr can continue to chip in offensively, a full season would likely move him from his lowly position of fourth in all-time scoring up to third; he's only 41 points shy of the great Gordie Howe.

Every game Jagr's still around is another gift to hockey fans.

Oh, Anthony

Hagerman: Connor McDavid and Max Domi are garnering all the early Calder Trophy talk, but early on, the most electric rookie could be Anthony Duclair.

The Arizona Coyotes forward has five goals in six games, tying him for second in the league. He's scored one fewer than Jamie Benn, last year's Art Ross Trophy winner.

Duclair's two power-play goals lead all rookies. Most surprisingly, he's averaging only 13:30 of ice time - a number that will surely rise if he keeps up his stellar play.

Duclair's flying under the radar because people may not remember he's a rookie. His 18 games with the New York Rangers last season seem to have given him an advantage over his peers, but he remains Calder eligible.

The kid has electric speed, chemistry with Domi, and a shot that's eluding goalies. You may have been asleep, but Duclair's already got a hat trick, lighting up the Anaheim Ducks for three goals in his third game of the season.