It's Thursday and it was locker clean out day for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Select Penguin players were made available to answer questions and to conduct their final pressers of the disappointing season before they headed home for the long off season. Geno Malkin was not available as he is heading to Minsk, Belarus to play for Team Russia at the IIHF World Championships. According to Rob Rossi of the Tribune-Review, Pens head coach (for now) Dan Bylsma was conspicuous by his own absence at the season-ending get together at the Consol Energy Arena. Bylsma was not seen by his players around the Pens’ hockey operations offices in the morning, nor did he address the media. Curious move considering Bylsma had spoken to his players and media the previous five locker clean out days after disappointing playoff departures.
Rossi reports that Bylsma left the building at approximately 5 pm EDT.
Was this Bylsma’s last day on the job as head coach of the Penguins? Sure appears that way. Rumors of a shake-up at the Pittsburgh GM and head coach positions persist in and around the hockey world ever since the Pens struggled to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets in round one. The volume of the rumors has amplified ever since the Pens were dropped like a bad habit by the NY Rangers earlier this week. Unlike Bylsma, Pens GM Ray Shero was involved in the process on Thursday, as were senior members of the Pens’ hockey ops staff, including AGMs Jason Boterill and Tom Fitzgerald. Bylsma’s assistant coaches Tony Granato, Todd Reirden, Jacques Martin and Mike Bales were also spotted at the arena on Thursday.
Rossi reported earlier this week that Pens ownership is in favor of firing Bylsma and replacing him with a veteran NHL coach. Former Nashville bench boss Barry Trotz has been linked to the Pens’ head coaching job because of his past relationship with Shero in the Predators organization. Five straight playoff losses to lower-ranked opponents have placed the bullseye on Bylsma’s back. Since the 2009 Stanley Cup win, the Pens have regressed mightily. They’ve lost character guys in the room and key playoff contributors like Jordan Staal, Max Talbot, Marian Hossa,Tyler Kennedy, Bill Guerin, Gary Roberts, Ruslan Fedetenko and others over the past five years and have not replaced them with equal or greater talent. That’s on Shero to be accountable to. He has had so-so drafts and has signed unrestricted free agents, however, he hasn’t plugged gaping roster holes with difference makers. To say nothing of accepting sub-par goaltending from Marc Andre Fleury, who himself is likely leaving Pittsburgh for whiter ice elsewhere.
Shero and Bylsma each have two years remaining on their present contracts. Pens’ owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle will make the final decisions on the fate of Shero and Bylsma. The meetings will continue to happen until a resolution has been arrived at. My guess it that Bylsma will get the boot and Shero will get a stern warning to turn it around quickly or walk the plank. Shero’s job security may lie in the hands of Barry Trotz. If Shero is retained and Trotz is hired, perhaps he two former Nashville employees can find a way to leverage Shea Weber away from the Predators. Perhaps Malkin will be traded to the Preds. Perhaps it will Fleury. We will have to wait and see.
The NHL Entry Draft is fast approaching and Lemieux will likely want to have his new head coach in place by then.
More to come…
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Sidney Crosby was asked about the persistent rumors that he and his head coach Dan Bylsma have been having problems this season. Sid refused to take the bait on that nugget during his presser.
Thanks, Penguins TV
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Lets go ahead and say it:
Marc Andre Fleury’s days in Pittsburgh are numbered. The Pens could use a change in goal. Fleury played better in the 2014 playoffs than he did in 2013 and 2012’s playoffs. He shut out the Rangers in consecutive games early in the Rangers series to give his team a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead in the series. His forwards and D couldn’t make the solid goaltending hold up and then lost three staright to Marty St. Louis, Hank Lundqvist and the underdog Rangers. In the end, its all about wins and losses. A change will do Fleury some good. Thanks, Penguins.com
If the Pens sack Fleury, they will need a veteran netminder and there is a strong likelihood that UFA-to-be Ryan Miller may end up with the Penguins when its all said and done. Miller needs a new home now that Dt. Louis has already committed to playing their top prospect Jake Allen in the NHL next season.
Miller could end up in Pittsburgh, San Jose, Minnesota, or Phoenix.
Fleury could find his new home in Carolina or Washington
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Buffalo Sabres center-winger Cody Hodgson scored a hat trick to lead Canada to its third straight World Championship victory, a 6-1 decision over Denmark, on Thursday.
Matt Read potted two goals, Jonathan Huberdeau had a single, and Kyle Turris, Nazem Kadri, and Ryan Ellis added a pair of assists apiece for Canada.
CoHo told the IIHF that he and his teammates had a plan to grind Denmark into making mistakes with the puck in their own end of the rink.
It worked.
"As a team, we had a strategy of wearing down and keeping pucks in their end, and eventually that showed in the third period, as we had so much possession time," said Hodgson.
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Sabres power forward Zemgus Girgensons scored the game-tying goal as Latvia upset USA 6-5 at the Worlds on Thursday.
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Sabres UFA Zenon Konopka now finds himself in hot water with the NHL.
Konopka has been suspended for 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the suspension is accompanied by mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.
The player's contract expires with the conclusion of the 2013-14 season. The term of the suspension will be served at the beginning of any new contract.
The National Hockey League will have no further comment on this matter
Konopka issued this statement to explain his situation:
"I deeply regret that I have tested positive for a prohibited substance in violation of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. I accept full responsibility for this error. As a professional athlete I am responsible for what I put in my body, and I am to blame for this mistake.
"I want to make it clear that this violation occurred because I ingested a product that can be purchased over-the-counter and which, unknown to me, contained a substance that violated the program. Unfortunately, I did not take the necessary care to ensure that the product did not contain a prohibited substance. I want to stress, however, that I did not take this substance for the purpose of enhancing my athletic performance.
"I apologize to my teammates and to the Buffalo Sabres organization, as well as to my friends and family. I have learned a great deal from this experience, something I hope to be able to share with younger players. I will accept this suspension and continue to work hard to prepare for the 2014-15 season.
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