Chemistry is a Delicate Thing

Throughout the offseason, Ray Shero has been very careful about not wanting to tamper with his team's chemistry too much. He recognizes that his team's cohesive chemistry was a strong force that helped the team to the fourth best regular season turnaround in NHL history last season, and he doesn't want to tamper with the chemistry too much.

Except here's the thing about chemistry. I don't know that chemistry causes winning so much as winning causes chemistry. There is definitely some correlation between winning and good chemistry. But for all Shero's concerns about tampering with the chemistry of his squad, if he doesn't take steps to shore up weaknesses that opposing teams that have improved themselves are now designed to exploit, all of last season's chemistry will die a bitter, poisonous death--and it's not going to be pretty.

I'm already leery of the high expectations of the Pittsburgh fans, some of whom are ready to start acting like spoiled Steelers fans and think, if not say, "Cup or bust" (I don't think that's the case next season). While I am thrilled the players have such high expectations for next season--desiring to be an "elite" team in Whitney's words--it's not just on the players to become an "elite" team.

The players have to play their roles and do their jobs to the very best of their abilities; that's a given. But the general manager must give his coach the right personnel to help the players excel. The coach must put his players in the position to excel. All of these conditions go into making an "elite" team.

While I'm not someone who wants to see team chemistry radically altered, if Shero sees Pittsburgh weaknesses exploited early in the season and fails to make moves to correct those weaknesses, his sole focus must not be on chemistry.

1991 and 1992 Pittsburgh players were upset to lose players like John Cullen and Mark Recchi, but the players got over the loss of chemistry when they sipped champagne from the Cup later those springs. At some point in time, winning must take precedence over chemistry, and the amazing thing about players who will heal a team's weaknesses and thus help a team win: Those winning teams tend to have some pretty amazing chemistry.

Just a thought for our general manager to keep in mind.