Why Have The Pens Gassed Shero?

[centrehice]

Unbelievable.

I guess they want the new GM to fire Bylsma. Lol. What a cluster-firetruck.


...

[pwaldo]

Seems like people don't last at all in the NHL. They fire people left and right for the smallest of reasons. Though the NBA seems to be turning into that lately.

[centrehice]

What more could Shero have done? In my mind he made all the right moves, grabbed inexpensive free agents in various months of June and turned them into impact players.

Didn't get overwhelmed with drafted D-Men, and moved them for larger, stay-at-home guys like Martin. I cannot see where he made a bad move, I really cannot.

The GM is not in charge of making a player go the extra foot on a shift, to get his stick in the shooting and passing lanes, to back-check his backside off, etc. That is the job of the coach, who has not gotten everything out of what Shero has given him.

I don't expect Shero will be out of work for too long.

[RGM81]

Bylsma getting canned I would understand. This one in a vacuum makes no sense.

Shero's not really to blame for the team's meltdown in the series with the Rangers. They had, and have, the horses to be successful. Shero's role isn't to get Sidney Crosby playing his best hockey. That's the coach's role.

Strange move.

[mooneyes]

Didn't he resign Letang and Fluery to long term contracts after getting swept last year? And no attempt to get a power/protector forward to ride shot gun for Sid...I could be wrong, as usual, but I think they want to get B's assistant Jim Benning, but so do other teams, so they had to make a spot available asap....jmho

[RGM81]

Nope. Fleury is now going into the final year of his existing 7-year deal. Letang, however, is going into a brand-new 8-year deal.

[theboxbreaker96]

I was absolutely shocked to hear the new today. I wanted Bylsma to get fired and wanted Shero to stay. Many many reasons why Bylsma should go but I will not get into that.

Shero is an excellent GM. The man made some of the best trades I have seen. Yes he has made a few bad ones but all GMs do that. He has signed arguably 2 of the top 5 players in the league to long term deals. Built a solid team around them with the salary cap definitely good enough to win more than what they did. Went out and got players at every deadline to improve the team.

Drafting has been a weak spot for Shero. He has not been able to draft real well. Yes he drafted Maatta and Pouliot and Bennett but has failed to really get much else from the draft. I understand that picking low its hard to get a whole lot but he hasn't gotten really anything. Pens have no real good prospects coming soon other than those guys.

Shero has done his best to pursue free agents with the cap space he has available. I know the Scuderi signing stinks. I was pissed at the time and I am even more pissed now but it happens.

There is no better GM available and letting Shero go is a huge mistake.

I put 90% of the blame on Bylsma and his terrible system. You never see any Pens in front of the net or crashing the net. Their PP Sucks and it has for a while. The pens drop pass more than any team in the league and it isn't working. I still expect Bylsma to get fired when the new GM is hired. If he isn't I will go down there and fire him myself.

Good Luck Mr. Shero you will have a job very shortly!

[Pence23]

head scratcher for sure.. kinda sad to be a pens fan

[09232003]

Never sad to be a Pens fan!!!
This firing I just don't get it, if anyone needed to go is was the coach for sure bylsma.

His system is not good for the talent we have on the team, and yes they needed to get a power forward for sidneys line but could have used either Neal or Bennett for that role and make it so.

I think once a new GM is in place, Bylsma is going to be shown the door.

jim

[flemingc04]

If Shero was getting fired, Bylsma should have been included as well. But to answer the OP, the last thing Ray Shero should have done was reward Dan Bylsma with a contract extension after four years of sub-par playoffs.

2010: Eliminated 2nd round
2011: Eliminated 1st round
2012: Eliminated 1st round
2013: Swept in the conference final (Penguins only scored 2 goals in those 4 games)

Shero has made some great moves (especially Neal & Niskanen for Goligoski), but after some bad playoff showings and giving Bylsma the thumbs up after getting swept, changes were deserved. But how on earth Byslma still has a job is beyond me.