Penguins Remove Interim Tag From Bylsma; Sign Him To 3-Year Contract

Today, Penguins Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero formally did what many Penguin fans knew only was a matter of time.

He removed the 'interim' tag from coach Dan Bylsma and made him the permanent head coach for next season by signing him to a 3-year contract.

With the Penguins finishing the regular season 18-3-4 under Bylsma, and after knocking off the tough Philadelphia Flyers in round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Bylsma was going to be given the coaching gig permanently. It was more a matter of when that was going to be announced.

Shero ended any and all suspense in this regard today, saying that Bylsma made his decision "easy", and frankly, he did.

Bylsma has done a fantastic job since stepping behind the bench and it would have been difficult for Shero to decide to go in a different direction at this point. Bylsma's done nothing to indicate he isn't ready for the job and, more to the point, has earned the right to stick around.

Dan the Man has proven to be a good motivator, a good X's and O's coach and, with the recent decision to bench respected veteran Petr Sykora after a long string of poor play, a guy who isn't afraid to make the tough decision. Other than just plain experience, and potentially the question of how well he'll handle true adversity, the issue of whether Bylsma may be too much of a "player's coach" was just about the only doubt remaining about him. After deciding to sit Sykora, that's no longer an issue. At this point, it's just about Bylsma growing with the team.

That's something Shero was looking for, and it clearly looks like he has his man.