The Pens fell again last night in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the New York Rangers. They had a 3-1 lead going into last weekend, and lost both Games 5 & 6 in horrible fashion. They played better in Game 7, but it was still not enough.
They looked lifeless, disinterested and flat out lazy and not just in this series, but all season long. That's what makes this team so aggravating to watch, the laziness. It is one thing to lose when you hustle and seem interested, but to look as if you couldn't care less...that is not going to sit well with the organization, the ownership and especially the fans.
The Pens are done. Eliminated. So long, goodbye. And so is Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma. There is absolutely no way that the Penguins can bring back Bylsma for the last year of his contract. He has lost control of this team. He has lost the support of his players, particularly his star players in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. There are rumors from the local writers that he called out and criticized the two stars in meetings and practice. That he took the fun out of the environment. Now, he has finally lost the support of the ownership of Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle.
It is all but known that Dan Bylsma will be getting his pink slip, maybe even as soon as tomorrow when the team cleans out their lockers and have their exit interviews. It is time. It is past time. It is a move that general manager Ray Shero probably should have done last year. He won't wiggle free this time, the Bylsma era is over.
The question now is who takes his place? Who will ownership give the nod to? Who do they feel can come in and change the essentially "lazy," complacent culture that has festered in the home locker room at Consol Energy Center since 2009? Tonight, myself, John (who works the Facebook page in game), Adam (who has some of the best insight on the Pens and NHL I know) and Jeff (a lifelong Pens fan with good insight) sat down and had a three hour conversation about the future of the organization. Our discussion on the coaching staff lasted for a good portion of that talk; here is what we came up with...
First, do NOT even mention John Tortorella. I did and I was yelled at.
Former Flyers coach Peter Laviolette probably would have been the best option, we all thought that, but he signed on to coach the Nashville Predators just a few weeks ago.
Do you give Tony Granato, Todd Reirden, or Wilkes-Barre coach John Hynes a shot? No. Granato and Reirden will be getting pink slips along with Bylsma in the next few days. John Hynes plays the Bylsma system, which we know does not work.
The name we all came up with was Jacques Martin. He was brought in last offseason to sure up the defense. He certainly did help out in that area, especially on the PK. I saw the move then as a possible replacement if Shero chose to dismiss Bylsma. Now, he is likely the favorite "in-house" option for the Pens. Jeff has read that the Pens are looking to change their system with the new coach. They want to go with a cycling and trap system. Want to guess who is available that has run that system proficiently? Jacques Martin. You can bet that he will be on the shortlist.
The other two names that were tossed around by us were former Preds coach Barry Trotz and former Ranger coach and current KHL coach Mike Keenan. We all agreed these guys would definitely be in consideration for the vacancy left by Bylsma. I think Trotz is good, and with scorers like Crosby, Malkin, Neal and Kunitz, he could have success here. That being said, his teams have never made it out of the second round. In 14 years at the helm of the Predators, he made the playoffs 7 times, but never got past the second round. Granted, the Preds didn't have the likes of Crosby or Malkin, but Pekke Rinne in net and shutdown defenses did not get it done either. Trotz was our consensus outside the organization choice. Keenan is an interesting choice, but he has found success in the KHL and the European system he has run won't work in Pittsburgh.
The overall consensus amongst us was that Jacques Martin will be the next coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. If the ownership wants a trapping-cycling system, he is the man. If they want someone familiar with these players, he is the man. Only time will tell who will be given control of this team, but one thing can be sure at this time: the Dan Bylsma Era in Pittsburgh is over.
Photo of Byslma above courtesy of Sports Illustrated.com.