Upper management mindful of disrupting Bruins' chemistry at trade deadline

Some people scoff at the notion that off-ice chemistry plays an important role for a team with a serious chance at winning the Stanley Cup. Just because the NHL’s trade deadline is Feb. 26, it doesn’t mean a team has to make a move in order to win.

The best move can be no move at all.

That could be the case for the Boston Bruins. General manager Don Sweeney has been doing his due diligence like every other GM in the league. Since the Bruins finally have depth and prospects in the organization, teams are interested in dealing with Boston.



At this point, the Bruins don’t need a blockbuster hockey trade in order to enjoy a deep run this spring. The chemistry behind closed doors is the strongest it has been in many years. As a result, the veteran core is playing well on the ice, the younger players are making contributions and pushing the older players, while goaltending has been solid.

Sure, there are areas the Bruins can make improvements, but it’s important for Sweeney to be careful not to mess with the team’s mojo and he understands that.

“Chemistry is a big part of the (winning) equation,” said one NHL executive.

Only one team will hoist the Cup. How many trades during the last few seasons have truly put a team over the top?

Analytics play a huge role when organizations are deciding to pull the trigger on a possible deal, but numbers can’t accurately measure the chemistry in the room. Adding and subtracting isn’t always the best course of action.

“I’m a big believer in teams that get along, hang together and play together. It’s important,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy told BostonSportsJournal.com. “You could have a boatload of talent and go out and win when guys don’t like each other or care about each other, but that’s very, very rare. That’s why you see in hockey a sixth seed, or a seven seed win (a playoff series). It happens more than in other sports because guys come together at the right time, especially being a violent sport. Guys have to know they have each other's backs and we have that.”

Chemistry “can certainly put you over the hump,” added Cassidy. “It’s not everything. You need talent, but when you have guys that care about one another, it’s probably the second-most important thing next to talent.”

Cassidy is a big believer in not interrupting the on-, or off-ice product just because it’s the trade deadline.

“I’m not making those decisions, but a good GM has the pulse of the room,” Cassidy said. “A lot of teams that have (good chemistry) try to add a piece without subtracting someone from the room, and be careful who it takes out of the lineup.”

Now, the Bruins are one of the best teams in the league right now and have proved it has the ability to become a Stanley Cup contender. Does that change Sweeney’s approach to the deadline? Team president Cam Neely said it all depends on the cost.

“We’ve got a good thing going and the players are playing extremely well and the coaching staff has done a great job,” Neely said. “We’ve got some good prospects coming, but we recognize where we’re at right now and if we can do something that makes sense and think it’s going to help our club and it doesn’t cost a fortune, we’ll look at it.”

The Bruins are similar to the Pittsburgh Penguins team that won the Stanley Cup in 2016. Both teams combined a group of prospects with a veteran core that experienced a Cup run. The Penguins added depth at the deadline in both '16 and again in '17 at little cost and won back-to-back championships.

The Bruins understand there is a window given the way the current team is constituted.

“It’s gotten so much more competitive throughout the league. It’s a little bit more balanced than it’s been in the past and you can have some good teams that don’t make the playoffs," Neely said. "You do look at where you’re at with your team. Who’s coming and where your core guys are and we looked at that a few years ago and thought, ‘How do we get back to where we want to be?’ This year we’re probably a little bit ahead of where we expected to be, but we’re putting ourselves in a window for a few years now and moving forward if things continue the way they are.”

Cassidy recently said he "loves" this team and doesn't want to see changes that could have a negative effect. The coach also understands what could be at stake this spring.

“You can never have enough depth. If you feel you have a chance at the Cup, then you can never have enough depth," he said. "Players will get over it, and if it's a good room, (upper management) gauges that and whether we can handle it, or we can’t and it’ll tear us apart. It’s important they sense what’s going on.”

Neely, a Hall of Fame player, concurs.

“It’s a great group of guys, it really is,” he said. “They’re all pulling on the same rope. The chemistry seems to be really strong right now. It’s another thing we talk about is the chemistry of this group. Historically, you’ve seen things happen at the deadline where maybe teams after the fact say, ‘we made too many moves and disrupted the chemistry’ so that’s something we’re cautious about.”

The Bruins' veteran core has done a solid job of accepting the younger players and helping them develop. Boston is among the top teams in the Eastern Conference and showing zero signs of going south anytime soon. Players get anxious around the trade deadline, which is normal, but the Bruins don't want to see any drastic changes to this roster, simply because of the talent and chemistry.

“It’s become higher on the list of things I put value on, the longer I’ve been in the league,” veteran forward David Backes told BostonSportsJournal.com. “You see how important it is to have a team-first mentality and caring about your teammates is integral to how far you’re willing to go to sacrifice for them. Caring about them off the ice, and having those relationships then translates onto the ice and that chemistry and communication helps you play faster and more in sync.

“The sacrifice is what really matters in this league – block shots, take hits, defend each other – because you’re a unit as one rather than divided as 20 individuals.”

There have been plenty of rumors with the deadline quickly approaching. Sweeney has been on record in the past, saying he's looking for a top-end, left-handed defensemen. Now that the New York Rangers are conducting a fire sale, captain and veteran D-man Ryan McDonagh's name is one churning the rumor mill. At this point, there's nothing solid between the Bruins and Rangers on that front, according to a league source.

For those wondering about Rangers forward Rick Nash, it's unlikely the Bruins would go that route. He's become a hit-or-miss player and routinely shuts it down, so that type of mentality definitely would not fit with the Bruins. Some believe the Bruins are interested in the Edmonton Oilers' Patrick Maroon for his size and ability to complement a skilled top-six forward like David Krejci. The Bruins do have interest in a few Oiler players, and it'll be interesting to see if Oiler GM Peter Chiarelli decides to deal with his former employer.

Another interesting scenario the Bruins are keeping an eye on is Brian Gionta, who retired from the NHL prior to this season and is currently the captain of Team USA at the Winter Olympics. He could be a perfect fit in Boston. He's a highly-respected veteran player who would add depth in the bottom six and would fit well off the ice too. Plus, there would be zero acquisition costs.

Backes said the current players would accept any addition as long as it doesn't interrupt the current state of the team.

“There are only a few guys in the league that have reputations that are not above standard,” Backes said. “Outside of that, the league is filled with pretty good guys and typically the guys you hate most on other teams are the best teammates to have. Whatever we have in the room needs to be solid enough that whenever a new player comes in that they’re assimilated into the culture and it’s a seamless transition for them, so they can be productive right off the bat.

“We have a great group of guys that are friends and like each other. Adding a piece doesn’t concern me. The problem might be more of who goes the other way and what kind of character would we lose in that side of the equation. That’s all an upstairs decision, but we’ll work with whatever is here and trust management is making those decisions to better our team and to give us an even better chance to do something special.”

So, don't be surprised if Sweeney stands pat. That could be the team's best move at this point.