Drury, Gomez Shine Under Bright Lights

When the Rangers inked centers Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to long-term contracts, most pundits declared them early Stanley Cup favorites, while a few bemoaned the Blueshirts' never ending penchant for overpriced, unrestricted free agents. The truth, as is often the case with these matters, has thus far been somewhere in between. But when looking forward, it becomes clear that the signings were far more prescient than foolish.

This coming summer, four aged star centers — Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Sergei Fedorov, and Mats Sundin — are due to become unrestricted free agents. But of that quartet, the injury-prone Forsberg will be the youngest (35 years old) when next season begins. Gomez and Drury, on the other hand, will be 35 and 36 when their contracts expire — their primes concluding just as the Rangers' financial commitment to them ends.

Given that, the best center on the market with reasonable long-term potential will be the Calgary Flames' Daymond Langkow, a talented 31-year-old pivot enjoying a career season playing alongside Jarome Iginla. Unfortunately, his suitors will have the unenviable task of trying to determine just how much of his production was due to Iginla's presence. And if the team landing Langkow doesn't pair him with a similarly capable winger, he's a good bet to go down as next summer's biggest free agent bust.

So, we turn to the Rangers' duo, nearly done with their first seasons in New York. It's far too early to reach a conclusive decision on their long-term worth, as that will be judged in Stanley Cup rings and playoff wins. But it's certainly reasonable to evaluate their impact on the Rangers this season, and though it's been an up-and-down campaign for both players, the positives outweigh the negatives. With 51 points in 75 games, Drury hasn't exactly been a game-breaker, though he's certainly tallied some timely goals along the way. But evaluating Drury on the basis of his regular season statistical results has never provided a fair measure of the man. He tallied a career-high 69 points for the Buffalo Sabres last season, and has cracked the 30-goal barrier only twice over the course of his nine-year NHL career. It's his leadership skills and postseason exploits that the Rangers wanted when they signed him to a five-year, $35.25 million deal, and the return on that investment won't truly be realized until he helps the Blueshirts to some postseason victories.

Gomez is a bit easier to evaluate. His 51 assists are just five off the career high he set in 2003–04 with the Devils, and with a strong finish, he could crack the 20-goal mark for the second time in his career (the first was in 2005–06, when he lit the lamp 33 times). His 67 points lead the Rangers, and if not for a rib injury suffered against the Flyers on Friday night, he'd be quite likely to score 70-plus points for the fourth time.

Now it's certainly true that finding chemistry with star winger Jaromir Jagr was even more of a challenge than expected, but Gomez has played exceptionally well alongside Brendan Shanahan and Nigel Dawes down the stretch. With Gomez now out of the lineup indefinitely with bruised ribs, the Blueshirts will almost certainly suffer from his absence.

Looking back at his time with the Devils, Gomez's biggest strength was his ability to raise the level of the play of his line mates. In the three seasons preceding Gomez's arrival in New Jersey, Alexander Mogilny averaged just 18 goals. But in Gomez's one full season with the Devils, Mogilny scored 43 goals — a large majority of them coming on feeds from Gomez.

Likewise, Brian Gionta scored 48 goals in 82 games (2005–06) and 25 goals in 62 games (2006–07) playing alongside Gomez. This season, Gionta's lit the lamp only 21 times in 75 games, his goals-per-game average dropping from 0.5 to .28 in Gomez's absence. And as with Mogilny, that's surely no coincidence, for Gomez has long been considered one of the game's finest play-making centers.

Adjusting to the bright lights of Broadway has rarely proven easy for professional athletes. For every Reggie Jackson, whose electrifying debut season for the Yankees provided some of the most memorable performances this city will ever see, there are 50 Bobby Holiks, whose ludicrous five-year, $45 million contract was mercifully terminated following the 2004–05 NHL lockout.

Gomez and Drury have certainly handled themselves far more capably than Holik did, smoothly riding the waves of what has been an up-and-down season for the Blueshirts. And assuming Gomez's rib injury heals in time for the all-important second season, it's more likely than not that their true value will be realized, as well-seasoned prime-time performers who thrive rather than wilt when the games matter most.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.