New Dynamic Duos!?

Every July 1st the majority of NHL general managers open up their owner's check books in hopes of constructing the perfect contract that could potentially land a sought after free agent. July 1st and the succeeding days that follow are very exciting for every general manager, player and fan. Once the dust settles and all the cash is pocketed there is only one thing left. Sign Alexei Yashin... just kidding.

The last and most important thing to do is to take what looks good on paper and make sure it looks good on the ice. Every GM crosses their fingers and prays to Lord Stanley himself that their high priced investment gels well with their current players. If a player does not fit on a team it is like setting cash, and more importantly cap room, on fire.

More specifically, will that free agent be able to mesh with the top star already on the team. Will they bring the best out of each other? Will it become money well spent. There are plenty of question marks going into the 2007-2008 NHL season. My question is who can develop into the dynamic duos of the league. Who can dominate like the Gretzky/Kurri combination? Who can pass and shoot like Adam Oates and Brett Hull? Or simply put, which teams are wishing they can?

Colorado Avalanche- Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic

Now Avs fans may argue why the team would want to put Smyth on the 1st line. Last year Sakic had a monster season and did it without Smyth, keeping the ‘if it isn't broken don't fix it' mentality. My answer to you is Ryan Smyth is making $7.5 million. That seems like a lot of money for a 2nd line left winger. I can guarantee you they will be playing together at some point. And why not? Ryan Smyth has been putting up around 60-70 points his entire career with centers not near the skill level of Sakic. Doug Weight was a great passer but he is no Sakic. It wouldn't surprise me if these two combined for around 175 points.

New Jersey Devils- Dainius Zubrus and Patrick Elias

Everybody believes Patrick Elias is doomed without Scott Gomez as his center. If you think about it Elias and Gomez were never even close to a dominant force. Their best year together resulted in Gomez getting 70 points. Don't forget that Gomez's career year of 84 points came the same year Elias was out with Hepatitis A for half the season. The Elias and Zubrus combination looks a lot like the Arnott Elias combination that supported the popular A-line. Which isn't a big deal considering Arnott averaged around 50 points as a Devil anyway. Devils fans can hope that Elias and Zubrus click but chances are even if they do they won't put up big numbers.

Philadelphia Flyers- Simon Gagne and Daniel Briere

These two players are expected to bring The Flyers back to their previous glory days of making the playoffs. The good thing is with a season so bad just a year ago fresh in everybody's minds it is going to be tough for these two to disappoint. Simon Gagne has put up career numbers the last two seasons and there is no reason why he can't raise that bar this year. Gagne was playing with Forsberg and if his center stayed healthy I don't believe it's a stretch to say he could have reached 85-90 points. If Briere can stay healthy and Gagne keeps shooting this could be a terrific dynamic duo. I was surprised with the lack of support towards Briere with most saying Drury and Gomez were the better options. 95 points is no hiccup, this guy can is an offensive force.

New York Rangers- Scott Gomez and Jaromir Jagr

I was skeptical of this move with Jagr already having great chemistry with Michael Nylander. You can't fault Glen Sather for trying to get an offensive center for the next 7-10 years so I can understand why it was done. Honestly there should be no reason why these two can't become one of the top duos in the league. Putting one of the game's great snipers with someone having the vision of Scott Gomez is a scary thought for anybody in the Atlantic Division.

I expect Gomez's goal totals to increase as well since Jagr is one of the more underrated playmakers in the league. Whoever ends up playing left wing on this line will put up career numbers. What is underrated about these top scoring pairs is the importance of a secondary scoring line. A team can easily shut down a top unit if that is all they have to focus on (unless you play in Tampa of course). What Jagr and Gomez have on their side is Straka, Drury, Prucha, and Shanny waiting to pick up the slack.

Washington Capitals- Michael Nylander and Alexander Ovechkin

All offense all the time. That is what this combination is going to be. It may not win championships or have a shot at the playoffs, but it sure is fun to watch! Ovechkin would be able to put up 45 goals with me as his center so putting a capable set up man should do wonders for the Russian scoring machine. Some might want to put the rookie Backstrom with Ovechkin but paying Nylander $5.5million to pass to Viktor Kozlov would be pointless.

Jagr became a superstar once again on the wing of Nylander. There is no reason Ovechkin can't maintain his superstar status with Michael setting him up. Let Nylander keep Ovechkin busy while Backstrom learns his craft playing with Semin.

New York Islanders- Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie

By no means will this combination put up enormous numbers. I just think the Islanders are praying that they can mesh somewhat so their offense doesn't look completely rancid. If The Islanders are going to do anything this year, it will be on the back of their 15 year contracted goalie not this dynamic duo.

Toronto Maple Leafs- Mats Sundin and Jason Blake

Has help finally arrived for the Canadian captain! The last time Sundin had a legitimate scoring winger was when he played with Alexander Mogilny in 2002-2003. That just so happened to be the only year since Mats Sundin put on a Toronto jersey that he did not lead the team in points. In other words, it has been all Mats for a very long time. Jason Blake had a 40 goal year last season but before that he never reached 30. Was it a magical season that just happened to show up his contract year? I won't go that far, Jason Blake has never played with a center the caliber of Mats Sundin. With that being said, I wouldn't expect big things from this duo even with Paul Maurice guaranteeing a playoff birth.

I would have included Sidney Crosby and Petr Sykora but it really doesn't fit with the theme. I don't think the Penguins are praying that Sykora clicks with Crosby. For one not much is invested in Sykora. He isn't a blockbuster free agent that the team needs to perform. Would it be nice? Sure. Either way Crosby is getting over 100 points regardless of who he passes to.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Rumor has it The New Jersey Devils could possibly be losing a valuable piece to their team for a significant amount of time. Jamie Langenbrunner has been feeling discomfort in his groin when trying to skate which could result in surgery. Why this wasn't taken care of as soon as the playoffs ended is a question that only Jamie can answer. Was he not skating at all during the off season to notice this could be a potential problem?

Either way this is a very big deal for The Devils. Believe it or not Jamie Langenbrunner has been putting up career years while in a Devils uniform and has developed a nice offensive package. He is their 2nd line right winger and plays point on the first unit power play. To say he is a vital part of the team would be an understatement. If true, this is a huge loss for the club.

If there is a positive to come out of this it would be that David Clarkson now gets a shot to prove himself. He showed a nice offensive touch in the limited time he played last year and might fit well next to Zajac and Parise.