Buffalo may have lost out on Mike Babcock in spectacular fashion but they have wasted no time in moving on. They have asked permission to speak to former Penguins Head Coach Dan Bylsma.
Sabres moving on quickly from Babcock. Have received permission to interview Dan Bylsma.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) May 21, 2015
After chasing a big name like Mike Babcock it only makes sense that the Sabres try their hand at another big name. .
Dan Bylsma's flaws are well documented. He was fairly stubborn with not changing up his game plan which at times got his Pittsburgh teams bottled up in the playoffs.
He also favored lesser skilled veteran players when higher skilled, but less experienced, players were available.
However, he also did plenty of good in Pittsburgh.
The players loved him as a coach. He was able to connect on a personal level and I think that is a big asset in the modern era of coaching. The yelling and screaming nonsense doesn't work anymore. Some critics claimed that the team suffered from a "country club" atmosphere but I didn't see it that way. Players should want to come to the rink and have fun.
Dan Bylsma is the winningest coach in Pittsburgh Penguins history and the fastest coach of all time to hit 200 and 250 wins. His winning percentage (.670) was top notch as the Penguins Head Coach and that included a good amount of time missing either Sidney Crosby and/or Evgeni Malkin.
Bylsma was very effective in raising the floor of his lesser skilled players, specifically the defensemen.
Bylsma's stretch pass breakout allowed the slower less skilled defensemen to launch the puck out of the zone as fast as they could "get the puck North" became a common phrase hear. Less time with the puck for lesser skilled players is good (not having lesser skilled players is better). The problem is that it put a lower ceiling on the higher skilled players who you want to have the puck. It is one thing to have a guy like Craig Adams and Tanner Glass post up and tip the puck in to go chase it. It is completely another thing to have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin doing the same thing. The team became predictable and thus easily defended, especially during playoff series against the same opponent.
The time was right for Pittsburgh to move on from Dan Bylsma, but that doesn't mean he is a bad coach.
A lot of the issues in Pittsburgh during his tenure had nothing to do with him.
Ray Shero left a lot to be desired as a general manager as the years moved on. It wasn't Bylsma who continued to sign bad depth players while giving away draft picks year after year. There isn't much a coach can do when his team is one of the best possession teams in the league and his goaltender plays at below an ECHL level in the playoffs. The one time they had a proper backup goaltender they utilized him (Vokoun) and made it to the Conference Finals.
The 2014-15 season gave Bylsma a year off to reflect on his first NHL coaching experience. Most people try and learn from their mistakes and I don't think Dan Bylsma is any different in this regard.
Buffalo has a very promising future with a plethora of younger players. Tim Murray does not strike me as the type of general manager that will be targeting the Tanner Glass/Craig Adams types so Bylsma won't have the option to play those kind of players.
Bylsma's communication style and track record of success would be a welcomed addition to the Buffalo Sabres who are trying to accelerate their rebuild.
Thanks for reading!