Is Dan Bylsma's job on the line as Penguins near playoff exit?
Dan Bylsma has a Stanley Cup as the Penguins coach and loads of regular-season success but is his job in jeopardy as the Pens fade out?
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3 min read
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The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in a hole that is probably too deep to dig out of, down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals to the Boston Bruins. It comes in a season where the Penguins finished with the best record in the East and were favorites to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
It means for the fourth straight season the Penguins are on the verge of falling short of expectations. A team that has stars such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to go with a superb supporting cast, anything less than a Cup Final appearance is below the bar.
So naturally it has people wondering about the safety of coach Dan Bylsma's job. Yes, the guy who came on midseason in 2009, led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup and has since guided the Penguins to the playoffs with three straight 100-plus-point seasons and had them on an 82-game pace for 123 points this season was asked if he's feeling the pressure.
Q. I wasn't clear, I apologize. What do you think is at stake for your future as head coach tomorrow and the rest of this series?
COACH BYLSMA: I'm not coaching -- I don't coach, have never coached for my job. When I took over as coach of this hockey team in '09, I came here to win hockey games, and that's where we're at right now. We know what's in front of us. We know exactly what's in front of us with the odds being down 0-3, but I believe in that group, I believe in that team, I believe in how we battled and how we're going to battle, and we're going to go in knowing we have an elimination game and win Game 4.
Is it fair to have Bylsma on a hot seat? Is he really what's holding them back from winning another Stanley Cup as Crosby and Malkin hit their prime years?
It would sure feel to me like he was the ultimate scapegoat if it were to even be something the Pengiuns are considering. Bylsma has done what he can to put the Penguins in the best position to win. He made the call to bench his No. 1 goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and ride Tomas Vokoun in the playoffs, that's been for the better. It's not necessarily his fault that the Penguins defense leaves a lot to be desired. He wasn't the one giving up six goals to the Bruins in Game 2.
The notion of Bylsma being on a hot seat is far-fetched but you have to admit perhaps it's not out of the realm of possibility. Coaches in the NHL always have expiration dates and despite all the regular-season success, the four straight exits before the Final are a little disconcerting, though again, I'm not sure if you can really pin that on Bylsma. Of course, that hasn't stopped a plethora of coaches in the NHL from being fired before.
Remember, the expectations in Pittsburgh are high and even with a Stanley Cup on Bylsma's resume, four straight seasons of falling short -- including two first-round playoff exits -- is enough to raise the question.
Whenever the postseason comes for the Penguins, they will have some decisions to make on numerous players. With them falling short of a Cup again, GM Ray Shero could decide to take things in a slightly different direction and that's always a scary direction for a coach.
In my opinion, I wouldn't expect Bylsma to be on his way out if the Penguins do indeed bow out to the Bruins, but you never can know in the NHL.
