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Dan Bylsma

Dan Bylsma Becomes NHL Network Analyst

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Eighteen days after being fired by the Buffalo Sabres, former head coach Dan Bylsma finds himself once again under the spotlight. This time, however, it’s as an analyst on the NHL network, reports the Buffalo News’s Mike Harrington. Bylsma starts tomorrow night on NHL Tonight with former players Mike Johnson, Kevin Weekes, and Mike Rupp.

This is not Bylsma first go-around on television. When the Pittsburgh Penguins fired Bylsma in June 2014, he quickly joined the NHL network as an analyst during the on-going Stanley Cup Finals. Bylsma finds himself in good company as he won’t be the first former coach to use a TV job to parlay his next head coaching gig. Both Barry Melrose and Paul Maurice regained NHL coaching employment after a TV stint.

NHL Network viewers should get used to seeing Bylsma on air. Only the Florida Panthers have an available head coaching gig—aside from Buffalo of course—but there has been no indication that they are interested. Rather, the Panthers have interviewed other candidates, including former Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien. With a 252-117-32 career record, Bylsms will find work, though it’ll most likely be after some team’s midseason collapse.

 

Chris Drury Rejects Sabres Interview

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The Buffalo Sabres are apparently still struggling to woo a capable general manager, according to Elliotte Friedman. The New York Rangers Assistant GM – and former Sabre co-captain – Chris Drury, rejected the franchise’s attempts to interview him for the position. Drury had been in charge of player development prior to promotion to AGM, and continuing acting as a liaison for prospects and younger players. His efforts have been widely praised league-wide, as the Rangers acquired and developed wonderful college players over the years, such as Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Hayes. Bill Guerin has already been interviewed by the Sabres, and other candidates will certainly be willing to sit down with Buffalo ownership, considering that only 31 head management positions exist in the league. But this rejection cannot be perceived as a positive sign for an organization that has struggled to find strong, capable leadership. After the Jack Eichel  end-of-season presser, rumors surfaced that the phenom did not want to play next season for  head coach Dan Bylsma (an allegation which was adamantly denied by his agent). The rumor was lent some credibility when both the coaching and general manager were quickly dismissed thereafter.

Owner Terry Pegula will now be hunting for his 5th different coach since taking ownership of the franchise in 2011 – coincidentally, the same year that Buffalo last made the playoffs. Buffalo has struggled to attract high end talent, whether it be players or staff. The organization had been rejected by Mike Babcock in favor of Toronto when they offered the legendary coach an opportunity. Bylsma was in essence a consolation prize, and his poor overall record in Bufffalo did nothing to alleviate the memory of the faulty hiring process in the minds of fans. With regards to the GM search, we’ve heard very little chatter around the recently fired Kings’ GM Dean Lombardi in connection to Buffalo, which might be cause for concern. Especially in light of Pegula’s re-assurances that any hires would bring a wealth of experience, it seems as though Pegula is content looking to recently retired NHLers to guide the ship. Although Guerin and Drury have both undoubtedly helped their franchises in different respects (both the Penguins and Rangers are consistent playoff contenders), it seems possible that again Pegula is having to settle for second and third choices.

Whichever GM takes over for the Sabres, they will have their work cut out for them. Although the forward corps is stocked with Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo, Sam Reinhart, and Evander Kane, they still have a need for depth that plays up to capability. Goaltending was no longer at fault this season, and coaches have been swapped out like air filters. If success doesn’t come soon, scrutiny will start to fall more heavily upon ownership. Fans can only endure a rebuild for so long before they expect results.

Morning Notes: Murray, Eriksson Ek, Meier

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Tim Murray may have predicted his eventual firing, when he spoke to John Vogl of the Buffalo News two years ago. After Ted Nolan had led the Sabres to a 23-51-8 record, Murray had to fire his coach and try to get it right the next time around. Nolan told Vogl very clearly what would happen if his next coach still didn’t work.

Am I going to find a perfect fit? If I don’t and I’m doing this again next year, then somebody else will get to make that decision when the perfect fit that I’m supposed to be isn’t the perfect fit, and I understand that.

When Dan Bylsma was fired, Murray had to go with him because of the decisions he’s made in the leadership of the organization. That doesn’t mean he won’t find success somewhere else though, as he has a long history of success in lower positions around the league and will be considered for another GM position at some point in the future. For now though, he just wasn’t the perfect fit anymore in Buffalo.

  • Joel Eriksson Ek will join Team Sweden for the World Championships, reports Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. The Minnesota Wild forward split his season between the AHL, NHL and SHL in his native Sweden, putting together an impressive campaign all told. The former first-round pick is a big part of the Minnesota future, and will be another example of a player competing in both the World Juniors and World Championships in the same year—Eriksson Ek captained the U20 Swedish squad this year, and recorded nine points in seven games.
  • Timo Meier ws  returned to the San Jose Barracuda now that the Sharks have been eliminated from the NHL playoffs. The first-round pick will compete for the Calder Cup with the Barracuda, but actually was a -2 rating in his first playoff game last night. The Barracuda will now have to wait until Friday to continue their series that is currently tied 1-1 against the Stockton Heat. Meier has been something of a disappointment this year, but still shows immense potential for the future.

Atlantic Notes: Detroit’s Prospects, Babcock, Canadiens

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With the Detroit Red Wings still deciding on how to proceed after a disappointing season, it’s the playoff run for AHL affiliate Grand Rapids that stands as a great development tool for future prospects writes the Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan. The Griffins lead the AHL in most playoff games played (59) since 2013, and look to build upon this with a slew of young talent destined to fill the NHL roster. Yesterday’s Calder Cup playoff opener saw the Griffins drop Milwaukee 4-3, thanks to the efforts of several young players, namely Tomas Nosek and Evgeny Svechnikov. Nosek potted the overtime game winner while Svechnikov added one of his own. While it’s not the NHL, Kulfan adds that the playoff atmosphere is the perfect way to expose the younger players to the pressures that wait. Both Nosek and Svechnikov had a cup of coffee with the Wings this season, and a longer playoff run will help those two, along with the others, grow in ability as they approach a regular gig in the NHL.

  • The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons writes that in the midst of Buffalo’s turmoil, it was Mike Babcock’s wife who ultimately won the battle between Buffalo and Toronto for getting his services. It turns out, according to Simmons, that Mrs. Babcock’s decision was certainly a good one as Babcock has guided a young and talented Toronto roster to the playoffs (currently down 3-2 to Washington) while Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma find themselves on the unemployment line. This of course, is all interesting to look at in light of the recent developments. Simmons adds that Babcock initially preferred the Sabres’ roster to the Leafs–but ultimately chose the Leafs.
  • The New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis reports that the Rangers plan on pushing back at the Canadiens crease crashing as they try to close out the Atlantic Division champs tonight. The Habs have put intense pressure on Rangers’ netminder Henrik Lundqvist in the paint, and the efforts should only intensify as Montreal faces elimination. The Rangers have elevated their physical play, namely defenseman Brendan Smith who fought Andrew Shaw Thursday night. But the Canadiens, for their part, are “excited” at the pressure facing them, and plan on focusing first on game six before looking too far ahead.

Latest On Buffalo Sabres Front Office Situation

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The owner of the Buffalo Sabres Terry Pegula held a press conference this morning to explain the firings of both Dan Bylsma an Tim Murray, and was very forthcoming about the situation. The whole thing lasted about 15 minutes, but Pegula was peppered with questions about how the decision was made, who will be considered for the vacant jobs, and even the perceived “tanking” of the 2014-2015 season. The full audio of the presser can be found here.

The main theme of what Pegula had to say was that the team needed better discipline and structure throughout the organization, and that he didn’t feel as though Murray had built that well enough. He regretted not being part of the GM search in the first place—which was conducted by Pat Lafontaine when he served as President of Hockey Operations, a position that lasted only three months—and that he would be much more involved this time around. Pegula will be pursuing someone of experience, though he matter-of-factly shot down the notion that Dean Lombardi had already been interviewed, saying it was a “complete fabrication”.

With those same words, he denied the Jack Eichel “coach-killer” rumors, saying that he stands with Eichel’s agent Peter Fish in defense of the star player. Pegula did however admit that he spoke to players before making the decision to move on from Bylsma and Murray, and perhaps the perceived discontent this year is part of the “discipline” problem with the Sabres.

When asked about the tanked season that resulted in Eichel—but was done for Connor McDavid—Pegula stressed that it was a rebuild, not a tank, and that his team has never wanted to lose. While it was clear that winning the draft lottery and acquiring McDavid (or Eichel) was a goal, it would be hard to say that any group of professional athletes would intend to lose, and Buffalo was no different. Whatever it is deemed, tank or rebuild, it did result in one of the best young players Buffalo has seen in a long time.

While Pegula assured the media that he hadn’t spoken to anyone about the vacancies yet, he did explain that Jeff Crisp the Sabres head scout would be handling all of the amateur scouting leading up to the draft. The team also let go both pro and amateur scouting directors yesterday, a bold move with both expansion and entry drafts following so soon. Whichever GM takes the job will have to rely heavily on Crisp for the upcoming draft, as Buffalo again has a good chance at a top-5 pick.

Buffalo Sabres Fire Tim Murray And Dan Bylsma

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The Buffalo Sabres have relieved both GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma of their duties. This comes just a day after a report that Jack Eichel would not sign an extension with the team if Bylsma remained, though both Eichel and his agent both vehemently denied it. Murray had signed a multi-year extension in October, but after another failed season has now been shown the door. A quote from Sabres’ owner Terry Pegula explains the decision:

After reviewing the past season and looking at the future of our organization, Kim and I have decided to relieve General Manager Tim Murray and Head Coach Dan Bylsma of their duties. We want to thank Tim and Dan for their hard work and efforts that they have put in during their tenures with the club. We wish them luck. We have begun the process to fill these positions immediately.

Though Eichel admitted that he would work with Bylsma and wanted to stay in Buffalo for a long time, the fact remains that since he took over before the 2015-16 season, the Sabres have gone 68-73-33 and missed the playoffs in both years. Murray has an even longer resume of futility since being hired in January of 2014. Though he did acquire Eichel in the draft, he has also made some questionable decisions when it comes to transactions, including the big deal for Kyle Okposo last summer, and dealing for both Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane who, while good players, have not reached the heights expected of them.

The Sabres will now start a search for a new GM, and some will immediately point to the jobless Dean Lombardi who was just pushed out of Los Angeles as a prime candidate. While the team may go for someone with less experience, Lombardi does come with a successful history and two Stanley Cup Championships. As Buffalo and Western New York fans can attest to, is entirely impossible to predict where the Pegulas will look to fill the vacancy. For the head coaching position, there are several experienced names like Darryl Sutter and Willie Desjardins available, or college coaches like David Quinn (Boston University) and Jim Montgomery (Denver).

Jack Eichel Responds To Contract Reports

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Earlier today it was reported by Paul Hamilton of WGR 550 that Jack Eichel had “no desire” to sign an extension this summer should Dan Bylsma be retained as the coach in Buffalo. Immediately, agent Peter Fish reached out to John Vogl of The Buffalo News to try and put out the fire created by the report, saying that it was “ridiculous” and that everyone was misunderstanding what had gone on. Now, Vogl has released an interview with Eichel himself, which goes into detail about how he’s dealt with the news today.

I want to be a Sabre and I want to be a Sabre for a long time and I want to be a part of Buffalo when we win. I know it’s an organization that is capable of doing that, and I want to be a part of it and I want to be a centerpiece of it. 

I want to be here for a long time. That’s the way I look at it. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I don’t want anybody to think that I want to be somewhere else. I want to be here, and I want to help this team win in any way that I can do that. I just want all the people there to know that.

Eichel made it very clear that he wishes to remain in Buffalo long-term, and that his conversation with Bylsma at the end of the year was very productive. He left that meeting thinking that they were “on the same page” about where the team was headed, and what the coach expected of him. While he doesn’t come right out and say it, it very much seems like Eichel is fine with going forward with Bylsma, regardless of whether or not they were in disagreement at times this year.

It’s not common for an athlete to come out and address the rumors so candidly, and Eichel should be praised for that. For a player who has been surrounded by nothing but disappointment since his entering the league—even the disappointment in Buffalo that they missed out on Connor McDavid despite finishing last in the NHL—it is obviously bothering him that he hasn’t been able to turn around the franchise to this point.

If Eichel does in fact head into a negotiation with the Sabres this offseason, it will be interesting to see where a contract would land for him going forward. Nathan MacKinnon was three years into his career when he signed his seven-year extension in Colorado, which will pay him $44.1MM ($6.3MM AAV) and buy out three UFA years. Tyler Seguin gave up just two free agent years when he signed his six-year, $34.5MM ($5.75MM AAV) deal in 2012 two years into his career with worse numbers than Eichel.

Depending on how many seasons of free agency he gives up, inking an extension now after a season marred by injury may be the best thing for the Sabres but worst for Eichel. If he trusts that he’ll succeed next season, he would be putting himself in a greater position of leverage and could easily surpass both MacKinnon and Seguin’s deals by signing an eight-year extension. It will be interesting to see where the dollar mark lands, and if the two sides can come to an agreement on length. If Eichel really does want to be a Sabre for a long time, there is a clear want from Buffalo to keep him around.

Jack Eichel May Refuse To Sign Extension While Dan Bylsma Remains Coach

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In a bombshell dropped by Paul Hamilton of WGR 550 in Buffalo, he reports that Jack Eichel will not sign an extension while Dan Bylsma coaches the Sabres. The two have been rumored to have differences of opinion all season, though General Manager Tim Murray made it clear recently that he hoped to lock up Eichel long-term this summer. John Vogl of The Buffalo News got in touch with Peter Fish, Eichel’s agent for a response on the matter, who said that the report is “ridiculous” and that the whole situation is “very misunderstood.”

Jack Eichel

Obviously, things can change on a day-to-day basis with contract negotiations, but this is just the latest example of unrest Eichel has recently shown with the state of the team. In his year-end press conference, the superstar forward told media that the team couldn’t be “satisfied with the fact you’re in the NHL” and that his team needed to dedicate their lives to the game. Some of that frustration may come with the fact that he’d just lost out on a $2MM performance bonus the night before, but he’s clearly not happy.

As he heads into his final year of the three-year entry-level deal he signed after the draft, Eichel was eligible for an extension on July 1st. Murray obviously had plans to talk to his camp as soon as possible, but this may throw a wrench into those plans. To be clear, this is not Eichel or anyone in his camp publicly saying they wouldn’t negotiate, but perhaps not entering the room in good-faith from the start. If he does refuse, it would be an extremely hot seat this season for Bylsma to turn the team around and show some success. Another season out of the playoffs combined with the ire of your team’s best player would easily be enough to lose his job.

Eichel doesn’t have a ton of leverage here, as even though his contract is up after next season he will not be an unrestricted free agent. We have seen time and again how holdouts rarely end in the player’s favor, but with a player the caliber of Eichel things may be slightly different. Either way, that is still more than a year away and shouldn’t be considered a likelihood. For now, the Sabres will just have to deal with this bad press about their head coach—who, of course, is a former Stanley Cup champion and Jack Adams winner for coach of the year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Coaching Notes: Hitchcock, Montgomery, Hunter

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In Elliotte Friedman’s latest “30 Thoughts” column for Sportsnet, the venerable hockey insider goes into all the coaching movement around the NHL and lends his opinions and insight onto some of the still unresolved situations. In Dallas, where the team is set to announce the hiring of Ken Hitchcock tomorrow, Friedman notes that it will be a one-year deal—as is Hitchcock’s preference—with a possible transition into consulting thereafter.

Hitchcock isn’t really an answer long-term for any franchise, as at 65 he’s dabbled with the idea of retirement lately. The idea of him sticking around in a system and being just one phone call away from taking over would be a difficult one to accept for the new coach if they do go in a different direction a year from now. It’s hard to coach in the NHL, and much more so when the team has a legend sitting in the press box “consulting” on whether you’re doing a good job.

  • Friedman again mentions Jim Montgomery from the University of Denver, who is likely on a list of candidates for the Florida Panthers job. Dallas Eakins and Phil Housley are other names to watch, with all three looking like they’ll deserve a shot (or a second shot in Eakins’ case) sooner than later.
  • Dale Hunter is one of the people that the Vegas Golden Knights have reached out to, though he declined the opportunity to return to the NHL. Hunter quit his job with the Washington Capitals back in 2012 to return to London, where he and his brother Mark Hunter—who works as an assistant GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs—own one of the top franchises in the OHL.
  • Sabres’ GM Tim Murray met with the media today to discuss the underwhelming 2016-17 season, and reiterated that he doesn’t intend to fire Dan Bylsma as head coach. According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, Murray puts this season on himself. He will have to work to better the roster, not just lay it all at the feet of his coach after another disappointing season.
  • While not a coach, Mike Futa of the Los Angeles Kings has been promoted to assistant GM. Futa has been with the club for a decade as a VP of Hockey Operations and Director of Player Personnel. He’ll work with the new management team made up of Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille to try and bring the Kings back to the playoffs in a short turnaround.

Snapshots: Bylsma, Sedins, Red Wings

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While there has been some speculation that Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma could be on the hot seat (especially after GM Tim Murray didn’t give much of a vote of confidence yesterday), TSN’s Bob McKenzie doesn’t foresee a change being made behind the bench.  In an appearance on NBCSN, McKenzie had the following to say regarding Bylsma’s status (transcription courtesy of Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):

“I would also think, absent some sort of cataclysmic disaster in the final two weeks of the season, that Dan Bylsma will also be back as head coach of this team next year; although that review process, as Murray said, still has to take place at the end of this season.

“I don’t think the Pegula family is keen on paying both Rex Ryan and Dan Bylsma not to coach the Bills and the Sabres, and they obviously made that decision with Rex Ryan and the Bills. At this point in time, I would suggest that Bylsma will be back.”

Bylsma is in his second season behind the Buffalo bench and while the team was clearly in a rebuilding mode when he took over, many expected the Sabres to take a significant step forward this season.  That hasn’t been the case though as they have just 72 points through 74 games and may not even match the 81 points they put up in 2015-16.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Canucks GM Jim Benning plans to sit down with the Sedin twins at the end of the season to discuss their future with the club, reports ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. However, LeBrun doesn’t expect that anything will happen aside from the twins playing out the final year of their contracts.  He notes that Vancouver greatly values their leadership especially as with the team being in the process of integrating several young players into their lineup.  Of course, with each player carrying a $7MM cap hit, that too will likely play a role in them sticking around for next season.
  • While the Red Wings won’t be making the postseason, they don’t plan on bringing their top prospects up to get their feet wet at the NHL level between now and the end of the year, head coach Jeff Blashill told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Instead, the team wants to keep them with Grand Rapids of the AHL in the hopes of a lengthy postseason run and feels that’s more valuable than a short-term NHL appearance that could potentially disrupt their chances down there.  Accordingly, Detroit will look to their veterans (such as Ben Street who was shuffled up and down recently) at the minor league to fill any spots over these final few weeks.

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