Dan’s Daily: Dan Bylsma Rumored NHL Return, Penguins Problem

The coaching carousel is turning, but the NHL rumor mill is churning faster, including chatter surrounding the return of former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma to the NHL. Bylsma isn’t the only coaching rumor floating around. There is some ironic symmetry in that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the team rallying from a 3-1 Round One deficit after inventing ways to lose in the first round in all but one of the last 20 years. Toronto forced a Game 7 with a nail-biting win over the Boston Bruins in Game 6. And we dished some harsh Penguins grades that drew some criticism.

It was an interesting day on X for me. I generally enjoy my interactions with you. But there are some bloggers who only look for people to criticize so they can look better. A few of them came around after Jesse Marshall, JFresh, and I had a good go-round about the Penguins season.

I’ll argue with those guys because it was fact-based, and we have different opinions. I’m sure as I post this, some of you will agree with them, some of you will agree with me, and some of you will misunderstand what I actually tweeted. I’m not against analytics; I just don’t think they accurately described the Penguins this season…

obviously i do not agree with this at all. advanced stats fully back up the eye test which is that the team controlled play at evens but was slow as hell and crucially conceded a huge number of rush chances. powerplay couldn’t score and finishing was very very bad. https://t.co/YhL5urilaM pic.twitter.com/VUX7tkPif5

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) May 2, 2024

Then, the blogs needing attention via grandstanding showed up and ruined what could have been a good discussion. So goes X, eh? Notice I didn’t even offer a contrasting opinion on the Penguins’ problems (though I would have gone into several other areas that don’t show up on the analytics, including absent-minded mistakes, power play failures, and a lack of urgency). Which side are you on?

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: We’re grading the parts of the Penguins lineup. The third line was a really interesting spot because you had Lars Eller and a crater. So–how did we grade? Check this Penguins report card.

PHN+: Is there a power struggle inside the Penguins between Mike Sullivan and Kyle Dubas? No, there isn’t, and Dave Molinari explains why the Penguins rumors aren’t accurate.

I was incredibly disappointed by some of the comments we received on Shelly Anderson’s honest column about Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper’s improper choice of words after Tampa was eliminated in Game 5. Shelly is one of the toughest women I know, and she’s quietly dealt with more sexist bullsh*t in this business than you could imagine. When she speaks up and calls out something demeaning, you should listen instead of getting a boo-boo face. Standing up for yourself isn’t being PC. Let Hockey Set a Good Path after Cooper’s Comments.

NHL Rumors, News & National Hockey Now

Seattle Times: The coaching wheel turns. Dave Hakstol is out in Seattle. Guess who’s at the top of the list to replace him? Yep, Dan Bylsma.

Ottawa Citizen: The Senators are closing on a new coach. Bruce Garrioch confirms the Bylsma rumors and also laid out what amounts to a three-team coaching swap, including the Penguins’ Sullivan. It just won’t die.

Boston Hockey Now: Game 7, baby! Of course, Boston isn’t so happy. The Bruins had just three shots in the first 25-plus minutes, and Toronto locked it down. Here are the takeaways and scoop from the Boston Bruins’ loss.

Coach Jim Montgomery was not a happy camper after Game 6. He called out his star player, David Pastrnak.

Sportsnet: Pittsburgh guy J.T. Miller had a little fun at Canucks’ practice Thursday. He decided to steal his goalie’s clothes and then wear them on the ice.

Colorado Hockey Now: A trip to Winnipeg. My buddy Evan Rawal got his first taste of Winnipeg covering the Avalanche-Jets series. He had a little better time than I’ve had recently, but the joy of travel is always food and observing home fans. Winnipeg is … different. Here’s a fun travel blog from our Colorado Avalanche dude.