- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Click link for full interview with Penguins owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle.
DK: So, what are we looking at here, some massive overhaul?
Lemieux: That’s going to be up to the GM. That’s why we’re going to go through this the next couple of weeks, hire somebody and start looking at hockey operations and go from there.
Burkle: We had more grit and character when we had all our kids up. Remember that?
- Dejan Kovacevic: “Bottom line: Lemieux and Burkle want new GM to have total say in how @Penguins look. Including choosing anyone from current hockey ops.”
- Will DePaoli: “Shero’s downfall lot of factors but ownership dumbfounded how he went away from targeting grit, character guys, compared to early tenure”
- James Mirtle: Some think that the firing of only Ray Shero and not Dan Bylsma as well, was so that both don’t go to a competitor together.
- Hope Smoke: Ray Ferraro: “It doesn’t seem likely that the next Pens GM will keep Bylsma unless Botterill is going to be the guy full time”
- Hope Smoke: Nick Kypreos: “It doesn’t look good for your organization to keep successful guys like Bylsma and Babcock twisting in the wind” … “Bylsma held onto his job by the thinnest of threads by bringing in Jacques Martin this year” … “Maybe the Pens have a coach in mind that they just can’t get right now. I look at Babcock in Detroit” … “I don’t think letting Babcock go in Detroit right not (where they have empty seats) just doesn’t sell” … “If there is one job that entices Babcock to leave Detroit it is to coach Crosby”
- Nick Cotsonika: “To be clear: Mike Babcock has one year left on his contract, and there is zero reason to think he is going anywhere right now. Fact: The Red Wings will sit down with Babcock at some point in the near future to discuss an extension. Opinion: I think Babcock will play out the last season of his contract and assess his options this time next year. Opinion: Babcock likes Detroit. He works fine with Holland. But he knows he will have great options. Why not leave options open? Opinion: If Babcock leaves next year, he’s going to go a team he thinks can win the Stanley Cup. Doesn’t need $ or rebuild.
- Hope Smoke: Bob McKenzie: “I suppose anything is possible, but I’ll be shocked if Bylsma is coaching Pitt next season”
- James Mirtle: Penguins coach Dan Bylsma is under contract until 2016.