Projecting the NHL's 10 Best Offensive First Lines

Left wing: Chris Kunitz
Strengths: Has some speed. Not afraid to get his nose dirty to score goals.
Weakness: Inconsistency, which can cause him to bounce around from line to line.

Center: Sidney Crosby
Strengths: Sees the play before it happens. Passes the puck perfectly. Very fast skater. Has one of the best backhand shots.
Weakness: Needs to shoot the puck more.

Right wing: Bill Guerin
Strengths: Gets into good scoring positions. Although old, still has a great shot.
Weakness: Not as fast as he once was. Takes games/shifts off.

Line formed: February 2009 after the Penguins traded for Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin
Chemistry ranking: Above average
2008-09 combined player goal total: 77 goals

Left wing: Zach Parise
Strengths: Never takes a shift off. Drives to the net for goals like no other. Scores timely goals.
Weakness: Sometimes shoots when he should pass.

Center: Travis Zajac
Strengths: Strong on the puck. Possesses good speed for a lanky centerman.
Weakness: Needs to pass more like his linemates do.

Right wing: Jamie Langenbrunner
Strengths: Tough in front of the net. Doesn't take no for an answer type of style.
Weakness: Gets too charged up over minor situations.

Line formed: 2008-09 season
Chemistry ranking: Very good
2008-09 combined player goal total: 94 goals

Left wing: Simon Gagne
Strengths: Has a laser of a shot that is very accurate. Possesses good speed.
Weakness: Not a great playmaker. Injury prone.

Center: Mike Richards
Strengths: Great all around passer, goal scorer, and defensive player. Natural born leader.
Weakness: Needs to bulk up a little more to suit his style of play.

Right wing: Daniel Briere
Strengths: Originally a center, so he is a natural playmaker. Has good goal scoring hands. Gets open often.
Weakness: Not a great defensive player. Injury prone.

Line formed: 2008-09 season, but Briere suffered from injuries last season, so this line as a whole has little experience together
Chemistry ranking: Above average
2008-09 combined player goal total: 75 goals

Left wing: Alex Tanguay
Strengths: Great passer. Very good skater. Has underrated goal scoring ability.
Weakness: Needs to find more consistency like his days in Colorado.

Center: Vincent Lecavalier
Strengths: Protects the puck well because of his size. Has a great one-timer. Fast for his size.
Weakness: Has a tendency to go into a slump.

Right wing: Martin St. Louis
Strengths: Has blinding speed, and one hell of a shot for such a tiny player.
Weakness: Can play bigger than he is, which is risky.

Line formed: 2009-10 season, but Vinny and Martin have been playing on a line together for several years
Chemistry ranking: Great to unknown
2008-09 combined player goal total: 75 goals

Left wing: Patrick Sharp
Strengths: He can score goals from all over the ice with his great shot.
Weakness: His small frame doesn't allow him to be all he can be.

Center: Jonathan Toews
Strengths: Great two-way player with tremendous hockey sense. Controls the puck very well.
Weakness: Although he is still very young, Toews has not been the most consistent player on the stat sheet.

Right wing: Patrick Kane
Strengths: A great dangler with lots of tricks. He can score as well as he dishes the puck.
Weakness: He's easily thrown off the puck by defenders because he is small.

Line formed: 2007-08 season, but more so in the 2008-09 season
Chemistry ranking: Good
2008-09 combined player goal total: 85 goals

Left wing: Rene Bourque
Strengths: Extremely fast skater. Has a knack for the back of the net.
Weakness: Not a good playmaker. Plays a risky type of game, which could lead to injuries.

Center: Olli Jokinen
Strengths: A beast on the puck. Great goal scoring and playmaking ability.
Weakness: Goes into prolonged slumps. Not great defensively.

Right wing: Jarome Iginla
Strengths: Tough as sandpaper. Great leadership abilities. One of the best overall shots in the NHL.
Weakness: Lets his anger get to him, which leads to him disappearing on the ice.

Line formed: Late 2008-09 season
Chemistry ranking: Above average
2008-09 combined player goal total: 85 goals

Left wing: Johan Franzen
Strengths: Hard to knock off the puck. Deceivingly hard and accurate shot.
Weakness: Slow acceleration.

Center: Pavel Datsyuk
Strengths: Tricky on the puck with loads of deke moves. Amazing playmaker and a well above average goal scorer.
Weakness: Needs to shoot more because he has a very good shot.

Right wing: Tomas Holmstrom
Strengths: Great at playing in front of the net and distracting goalies. Good at redirecting pucks in the net.
Weakness: A one-dimensional player. You always know what you're gonna get from Tomas.

Line formed: 2009-10 season
Chemistry ranking: Great to unknown
2008-09 combined player goal total: 80 goals

Left wing: Bobby Ryan
Strengths: He's able to skate well for a big player. He is highly skilled with the puck and has incredible goal scoring ability.
Weakness: His decision-making can be delayed.

Center: Ryan Getzlaf
Strengths: Highly skilled big centerman with world class vision. Intimidates opponents with his physicality.
Weakness: Has a lackadaisical style to his game, which causes him to turn the puck over.

Right wing: Corey Perry
Strengths: Finds the perfect scoring positions and capitalizes on them. Not afraid to lay the big check.
Weakness: Needs to jump into the play more instead of waiting for it to come to him..

Line formed: 2008-09 season
Chemistry ranking: Great
2008-09 combined player goal total: 88 goals

Left wing: Dany Heatley
Strengths: Has a hard all-around shot with pin point accuracy. Always puts himself in great goal scoring positions.
Weakness: Not the best skater. Sees the open man well, but not the best passer.

Center: Joe Thornton
Strengths: Impossible to knock off the puck because of his size and skill. Always sees the open player at the right time.
Weakness: Passes instead of shoots in goal scoring opportunities.

Right wing: Devin Setoguchi
Strengths: Will go to all areas on the ice to score goals. Not scared to get physical.
Weakness: As of now, his playmaking ability is average.

Line formed: 2009-10 season
Chemistry ranking: Very good to unknown
2008-09 combined player goal total: 95 goals

Left wing: Alexander Ovechkin
Strengths: Scores from anywhere on the ice and often does. He's fast and physical. Plays with lots of emotion.
Weakness: Tries to do too much with the puck.

Center: Nicklas Backstrom
Strengths: Passes the puck through defenders with ease. Great all-around vision and awareness on the ice.
Weakness: Slow skater. Does not shoot enough.

Right wing: Mike Knuble
Strengths: Gets his nose dirty and scores goals from the trenches.
Weakness: Slow skater with limited playmaking ability.

Line formed: 2009-10 season
Chemistry ranking: Great to unknown
2008-09 combined player goal total: 105 goals