GMRS Live presser at 11am-Bylsma Contract Extended

[Idoit40fans]

People also need to consider who is out there that is better than what we already have? I am on the fence on weather or not they should have extended or fired him.

The only guy on the market with a Stanley cup ring in coaching I believe is Torts. There is no way I would want 71 or 87 being benched for not blocking shots. So the list is not really that great.

I don't know if thats how he's going to coach another team. I think he committed himself to that with the way that team was when he got it. Coaches evolve expecially after being dismissed. He didn't run the Lightning like that when they won it. Not that I wanted the Pens to get him.

[llipgh2]

Where were the tough questions from the media?

MAF gets another chance w/new goalie coach and has off season regime to get tougher mentally. This gets a passing grade.

HCDB gets a two year extension. I would have given him 1 instead. Coach needs to focus on team, not his own contract, and a one yr (plus the one he still has) does that. Adjustments WERE made, they just didn't work.

Other than those two items, press failed to do their job, like they did in the playoffs, turning emo fans against team and coach. Only the guys on the inside have ALL the facts.

Because the majority of the Pgh media doesn't know enough about hockey to ask the tough questions? And the ones that do don't want to tick anyone off and cut off their access to the team?

Pgh sports media blows.

[Idoit40fans]

Where were the tough questions from the media?

MAF gets another chance w/new goalie coach and has off season regime to get tougher mentally. This gets a passing grade.

HCDB gets a two year extension. I would have given him 1 instead. Coach needs to focus on team, not his own contract, and a one yr (plus the one he still has) does that. Adjustments WERE made, they just didn't work.

Other than those two items, press failed to do their job, like they did in the playoffs, turning emo fans against team and coach. Only the guys on the inside have ALL the facts.

Because the majority of the Pgh media doesn't know enough about hockey to ask the tough questions? And the ones that do don't want to tick anyone off and cut off their access to the team?

Pgh sports media blows.

Exactly this.

[topshelf]

The line from Shero saying that MAF got 40 wins in the regular season and he can't replace them I didn't like nor do I buy it. You go with Vokoun and a Bernier type for example, this team doesn't miss a beat. The franchise goalie cannot have colossal meltdowns in the post season and continue to be the franchise goalie.

Don't like the blind loyalty toward MAF at all...

Sometimes a change of scenery is needed...it's not the end of the world to admit that...

Do I like MAF's meltdowns? No way.

However, Vokoun is getting old AND Vokoun had his meltdowns during the regular season.

Also, can we even talk about a "Bernier type"? Those guys aren't just hanging around waiting to be signed, and acquiring them would cost us.

[RisslingsMissingTeeth]

A bizarre press conference for sure but what stuck out at me is how stupid Shero thinks everyone who is a Pens fan is. He must think people are complete morons. You are saying that the owners are 100% behind Bylsma yet it took 4 days and an all day meeting before you had a press conference announcing it? Um...right. 100%.

As for Fleury, he says in the conference that he is basically weak minded so Shero's attempt at salvaging his bad investment is by propping him up in the media? That's the best you can come up with Ray? The genius is off this clown. Everything he says just stinks of lies.

[Bioshock]

The line from Shero saying that MAF got 40 wins in the regular season and he can't replace them I didn't like nor do I buy it. You go with Vokoun and a Bernier type for example, this team doesn't miss a beat. The franchise goalie cannot have colossal meltdowns in the post season and continue to be the franchise goalie.

Don't like the blind loyalty toward MAF at all...

Sometimes a change of scenery is needed...it's not the end of the world to admit that...

Do I like MAF's meltdowns? No way.

However, Vokoun is getting old AND Vokoun had his meltdowns during the regular season.

Also, can we even talk about a "Bernier type"? Those guys aren't just hanging around waiting to be signed, and acquiring them would cost us.

This. Asking Vokoun to suddenly take on the work load that Fleury is shouldered with isn't realistic at his age and with his injury history. Vokoun was incredible this spring because he didn't play as much during the winter.

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

Where were the tough questions from the media?

MAF gets another chance w/new goalie coach and has off season regime to get tougher mentally. This gets a passing grade.

HCDB gets a two year extension. I would have given him 1 instead. Coach needs to focus on team, not his own contract, and a one yr (plus the one he still has) does that. Adjustments WERE made, they just didn't work.

Other than those two items, press failed to do their job, like they did in the playoffs, turning emo fans against team and coach. Only the guys on the inside have ALL the facts.

Because the majority of the Pgh media doesn't know enough about hockey to ask the tough questions? And the ones that do don't want to tick anyone off and cut off their access to the team?

Pgh sports media blows.

Exactly this.

Pgh sports teams except the pirates because you cant do it for 20 years of suck, seem to control the media more than other cities. The pens put the face of the league on the ice twice in one year with a broken neck and it was a barely a story.

Our media isn't going to touch much of this given what happens and our history.

Now The Yankees, Lakers, Bulls, Bruins/Sox. Good Lord this would be like a national scandal in their world. World War 3 could start and this would be above it as lead story in the paper the next day.

[KG]

The line from Shero saying that MAF got 40 wins in the regular season and he can't replace them I didn't like nor do I buy it. You go with Vokoun and a Bernier type for example, this team doesn't miss a beat. The franchise goalie cannot have colossal meltdowns in the post season and continue to be the franchise goalie.

Don't like the blind loyalty toward MAF at all...

Sometimes a change of scenery is needed...it's not the end of the world to admit that...

Do I like MAF's meltdowns? No way.

However, Vokoun is getting old AND Vokoun had his meltdowns during the regular season.

Also, can we even talk about a "Bernier type"? Those guys aren't just hanging around waiting to be signed, and acquiring them would cost us.

I say Bernier because he is available and LA is rumored to be talking trade with Philly for Matt Read...If not Bernier then Mike Smith is a free agent or if they decide to deal MAF they could get a goalie back.

Point is I have no problem going in with a 1a 1b goalie situation next season. With the way the Pens are structured, high octane offense, they need a goalie that can manage a game (Osgood type). They shouldn't have to spend $7MM of cap space on 2 goalies...Poor cap management.

Go with Vokoun and a capable backup for $5MM total.

[Idoit40fans]

A bizarre press conference for sure but what stuck out at me is how stupid Shero thinks everyone who is a Pens fan is. He must think people are complete morons. You are saying that the owners are 100% behind Bylsma yet it took 4 days and an all day meeting before you had a press conference announcing it? Um...right. 100%.

As for Fleury, he says in the conference that he is basically weak minded so Shero's attempt at salvaging his bad investment is by propping him up in the media? That's the best you can come up with Ray? The genius is off this clown. Everything he says just stinks of lies.

That kind of bothered me too. It came off as a little smug, but I wouldn't want any other GM, still think he's as good as anyone else there is. I don't care how his press conferences are presented, he is undoubtedly capable of putting a good team on the ice.

[Bioshock]

Here's something to make those who are in mourning ache a little more:

Keep Calm and Shero On. Why the Bylsma extension makes unlimited sense.
http://www.thepensblog.com/2013-archives/june/the-bylsma-extension-makes-unlimited-sense.html

This is my sentiments exactly. Change for the sake of change isn't intelligent.

And really, the Pens are acting like the Steelers in a lot of respects. Listen, i hate a lot of what the Steelers have become but one thing i do enjoy is their stability. If Tomlin has 2 more losing seasons (Which very well might happen) the ownership won't fire him or the assistants. They understand that you can't win every year. (Even though they say they can).

Hell, the pens just got to the third round of the playoffs. THE THIRD ROUND! And we act like the cup should just happen with this roster.

There is a reason the Stanley Cup is widely regarded as the toughest trophy to win in sports...

[topshelf]

The line from Shero saying that MAF got 40 wins in the regular season and he can't replace them I didn't like nor do I buy it. You go with Vokoun and a Bernier type for example, this team doesn't miss a beat. The franchise goalie cannot have colossal meltdowns in the post season and continue to be the franchise goalie.

Don't like the blind loyalty toward MAF at all...

Sometimes a change of scenery is needed...it's not the end of the world to admit that...

Do I like MAF's meltdowns? No way.

However, Vokoun is getting old AND Vokoun had his meltdowns during the regular season.

Also, can we even talk about a "Bernier type"? Those guys aren't just hanging around waiting to be signed, and acquiring them would cost us.

I say Bernier because he is available and LA is rumored to be talking trade with Philly for Matt Read...If not Bernier then Mike Smith is a free agent or if they decide to deal MAF they could get a goalie back.

Point is I have no problem going in with a 1a 1b goalie situation next season. With the way the Pens are structured, high octane offense, they need a goalie that can manage a game (Osgood type). They shouldn't have to spend $7MM of cap space on 2 goalies...Poor cap management.

Go with Vokoun and a capable backup for $5MM total.

I'm just not sold on the fact that Vokoun is able to take on more than he already has. He was less solid than Fleury in the regular season, but played well in the playoffs. I know many people here (not you, KG) think the regular season doesn't matter, but you need a guy that can get you in.

Another thought, while Fleury's meltdown's have been maddening, I am in the camp that puts a large part of that on our defense. There were sloppy and exposed in the Philly series, and they weren't much better against the Islanders (though they tightened up a bit for Ottawa and Boston).

[Idoit40fans]

Vokoun started rough in the first month of the season, but i'd like to see his numbers after the first week of February or so.

[topshelf]

Vokoun started rough in the first month of the season, but i'd like to see his numbers after the first week of February or so.

I'm sure they're good, but I'd go out on a limb and say that it is the result of him playing a limited number of games. I'm not bashing Vokoun, and I think he was easily our playoff MVP, but he is perfect in the role he was used and I wouldn't go beyond that.

[Rocco]

First, winning in the regular season means something because you have to win in the regular season to make the playoffs and it determines your seed. It's obviously not as important as winning in the postseason, but you have to win the regular season games first. Secondly, a higher seed equals a better team. Detroit hasn't lost to an inferior team in the playoffs in the last 4 years. No one's really noticed it because they wear the Red Wing sweater and get away with obstruction but they aren't the same powerhouse that they were. They've been trending downward. The Pens haven't beaten anyone better than a 5 seed in the last 4 years and that was back in 2010 even though they've had better teams than the team that won the Cup. They've been underachieving in the playoffs, and after 4 years Bylsma is one of the constants in all 4 seasons.

If you're going to compare Babcock and Bylsma, you need to recognize who it is they're beating and who is dumping them out of the playoffs.

Rocco, if we had lost in the same fashion to teams that were seated higher than us, do you think people would still be calling for Bylsma's head? I'm not calling you out, just a question.

There are people who call for Bylsma's head when the Pens lose a game after winning 5 in a row. They balance out the people who are in "Benevolent Dictator for Life Dan Bylsma" mode. The majority of people who think it's time for a change (myself included) feel that way because the Pens have not lived up to expectations in the playoffs. This is a team with 4 of the top 50 players in the NHL. I'm not going to apologize for having higher standards for this team than I did the 2003-04 team. If the Pens were losing to more talented teams in the playoffs after overachieving and grinding out maximum points in the regular season it would be different.

[AlexPKeaton]

So was it obvious to anyone else that RS is expecting Fleury to see a sports psychologist in the offseason?

[Crankshaft]

Sometimes a change of scenery is needed...it's not the end of the world to admit that...

But if you use this reasoning for wanting Bylsma fired, it's not valid.

[topshelf]

First, winning in the regular season means something because you have to win in the regular season to make the playoffs and it determines your seed. It's obviously not as important as winning in the postseason, but you have to win the regular season games first. Secondly, a higher seed equals a better team. Detroit hasn't lost to an inferior team in the playoffs in the last 4 years. No one's really noticed it because they wear the Red Wing sweater and get away with obstruction but they aren't the same powerhouse that they were. They've been trending downward. The Pens haven't beaten anyone better than a 5 seed in the last 4 years and that was back in 2010 even though they've had better teams than the team that won the Cup. They've been underachieving in the playoffs, and after 4 years Bylsma is one of the constants in all 4 seasons.

If you're going to compare Babcock and Bylsma, you need to recognize who it is they're beating and who is dumping them out of the playoffs.

Rocco, if we had lost in the same fashion to teams that were seated higher than us, do you think people would still be calling for Bylsma's head? I'm not calling you out, just a question.

There are people who call for Bylsma's head when the Pens lose a game after winning 5 in a row. They balance out the people who are in "Benevolent Dictator for Life Dan Bylsma" mode. The majority of people who think it's time for a change (myself included) feel that way because the Pens have not lived up to expectations in the playoffs. This is a team with 4 of the top 50 players in the NHL. I'm not going to apologize for having higher standards for this team than I did the 2003-04 team. If the Pens were losing to more talented teams in the playoffs after overachieving and grinding out maximum points in the regular season it would be different.

I'd say with the exception of 4 or 5 trolls that have nothing better to do, EVERYONE on this board has a higher standard for the team than what we endured during the early-mid 2000's. We just all have different opinions on how we get there. I don't think Bylsma shoulders all of the blame for our imploding. Our defense has a stake in that, as well as our goaltending. Out of anything that happened during the Bylsma administration, the one thing I'd truly blame him for is the fact that he allowed the players to mentally meltdown against the Flyers last year. Had they kept their composure, I see them winning that series. The defense last year was awful, too, but that falls on Shero, and he attempted to address it (dumping Michalek and whatnot).

I'm glad that we have a GM that doesn't resort to knee-jerk reactions. I know some here wish he would be more "proactive" (for a lack of a better word).

[topshelf]

Sometimes a change of scenery is needed...it's not the end of the world to admit that...

But if you use this reasoning for wanting Bylsma fired, it's not valid.

And if you use the reasoning that sometimes firing doesn't fix the problem, it's equally not valid. We're all invalid!

[Sarcastic]

I don't know where to put it and I don't want to make a new thread. There's going to be Live Chat with Dejan at noon. I think you can post questions now.

http://blog.triblive.com/dejan-kovacevic/

[Admin]

I don't know where to put it and I don't want to make a new thread. There's going to be Live Chat with Dejan at noon. I think you can post questions now.

http://blog.triblive.com/dejan-kovacevic/

Speaking of, DK wrote an article at the end of April declaring emphatically that Bylsma wasn't going anywhere no matter what happened in the playoffs:
http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacev ... z2W111FndL

[Sarcastic]

I don't know where to put it and I don't want to make a new thread. There's going to be Live Chat with Dejan at noon. I think you can post questions now.

http://blog.triblive.com/dejan-kovacevic/

Speaking of, DK wrote an article at the end of April declaring emphatically that Bylsma wasn't going anywhere no matter what happened in the playoffs:
http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacev ... z2W111FndL

For all the criticism, he definitely knows his stuff and I like reading him.

[IntangibleBeer]

Here's something to make those who are in mourning ache a little more:

Keep Calm and Shero On. Why the Bylsma extension makes unlimited sense.
http://www.thepensblog.com/2013-archives/june/the-bylsma-extension-makes-unlimited-sense.html

That blog is a total crock of ****.

[Idoit40fans]

I can't imagine the article was that bad. Now if you are saying that without even clicking on the link, then touche. I didn't bother reading it either.

[pronovost19]

Obvious to me they extended disco to get malkin signed...now that geno is signed expect a very shortleash for disco