In the NHL, winning games and having a successful line often comes down to finding the right chemistry among pairings.
Typically, the word “pairings” is linked to defense, but there are duos at forward in the NHL who can be game-changers. Some of the NHL’s most dangerous duos are already generating buzz as training camps and pre-season action heat up.
Each pairing below has an intriguing story as the 2025-26 NHL season begins. Not all are just about on-ice production. Which duos should we be watching?
Jack Eichel And Mitch Marner, Vegas Golden Knights
In Vegas, Jack Eichel and newly acquired Mitch Marner hit the ice with Ivan Barbashev, instantly showing chemistry and even connecting for a highlight-reel goal in their first session.
Eichel, fresh off a career year, is also in a contract season. The likelihood is he gets a deal done far before it becomes worrisome, but if negotiations drag into the season, or Kirill Kaprizov’s new whopper of a deal slows things down, how these two play together could have an impact on Eichel’s numbers and what the Golden Knights see their long-term future looking like.
Each player said they are excited to play alongside the other, with Marner suggesting the focus will be on using each other’s skills to “open each other up” offensively.
As far as playoffs go, Eichel will need to help Marner achieve post-season success he wasn’t able to accomplish in Toronto alongside Auston Matthews.
Connor McDavid And Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Ideally, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are pushing their own respective lines in Edmonton, but who are we kidding? Every season, these two superstars wind up together, and they are arguably the most dynamic duo in the NHL.
McDavid has three Hart Trophy wins, while Draisaitl has one. Either could win it again this season, with McDavid at 2.90 (+190) and Draisaitl at 11.00 (+1000), according to BetMGM.
They complement each other so well that it’s hard for the Oilers not to go back to the well and go to these two often.
Another star player in a contract year, McDavid is trying to decide what to do about an extension. He wants to win the Stanley Cup, which has eluded him for the last two finals. How does playing with Draisaitl this season impact his decision about signing or moving on? Is he pushing for this combo? Or, does McDavid prefer to spread out the offense?
If McDavid is considering playing elsewhere next season, he’d have to be open to playing somewhere that doesn’t have the yin to his yang.
Oilers Double Down On McDavid-Draisaitl Duo Despite Depth ConcernsEDMONTON - The Edmonton Oilers’ decision to reunite Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the top line heading into the 2025-26 season is generating some discussion.
Auston Matthews And Matthew Knies, Toronto Maple Leafs
In Toronto, Auston Matthews looks to play his first season without Marner, and the narrative surrounding what that looks like could get interesting.
With Matthew Knies, Matthews and Marner on a 5-on-5 line last season, the Leafs averaged 3.63 goals per 60 minutes. Without Knies and Matthews together without Marner, the Leafs averaged 2.87 goals per 60, according to naturalstattrick.com.
The hope is that Knies steps up, and these two go on a tear regardless of who plays right wing, making the loss of Marner less painful for Leafs Nation.
The Leafs signed Knies to a new long-term extension, and pairing these two as a successful duo would solve many potential problems for the team, which has tried to pick up several depth pieces and fill holes with quantity over quality.
The Maple Leafs’ lack of playoff success has been their Achilles heel. It was finally time to change things up, move on from the “Core Four” and go with different pairings. Whether it works remains to be seen.
Sidney Crosby And Bryan Rust/Rickard Rakell, Pittsburgh Penguins
The future of the Penguins’ top line will be a season-long storyline.
Sidney Crosby has made it clear time and again that Pittsburgh is where he wants to be, even after his agent said it’s always a possibility he could leave. But Crosby does want to win.
How the Penguins play this season may shape what happens to Crosby’s linemates, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. The wingers set career highs in points last year – 70 points for Rakell and 65 for Rust – and Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has hung onto them despite making moves elsewhere to bring in the youngsters.
Rust and Rakell were the subject of trade speculation this summer. While the Penguins only have 7.00 (+600) odds of making the playoffs, according to BetMGM, Crosby’s line could help Pittsburgh pull off some kind of surprise and keep the team from selling the captain’s wingers soon.
Nathan MacKinnon And Martin Necas, Colorado Avalanche
Colorado broke up its dynamic duo last season when it traded then-pending UFA Mikko Rantanen in January. The Avalanche then put Martin Necas on Nathan MacKinnon’s right wing, and they didn’t really miss a beat.
The Avalanche scored 15 times in nearly 270 minutes with the Artturi Lehkonen-MacKinon-Rantanen line on the ice, according to naturalstattrick.com. With Necas replacing Rantanen, the Avs scored 13 times in 218 minutes, which is actually a higher rate.
Necas is expected to skate alongside MacKinnon again to start the season. But now, Necas is the pending UFA, and although negotiations are ongoing, there’s no certainty that he’ll re-sign.
Will things change as these two build chemistry together? Are they successful enough that Necas wants to stay where he is and sign a new deal? We’ll just have to watch.
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