New York Rangers Head Coach: Dan Bylsma Not Going Anywhere, Alain Vigneault It Is
Dan Bylsma has received a two-year contract extension from the Pittsburgh Penguins, so you can cross him off the list of potential candidates.
According to the Pittsburgh Penguins official Twitter account, Dan Bylsma has received a two-year contract extension that will keep him in Pittsburgh throughout the 2015-2016 season. There has been speculation that Bylsma was on the hot seat after his Penguins were swept out of the Eastern Conference Finals by the Boston Bruins. Because of this, the New York Rangers were likely waiting in the wings to see if Bylsma was canned, as he would have jumped right to the top of their wish list.
But with the way things have aligned around the league, the Rangers aren't really faced with a tough decision on who to appoint the next head coach. Alain Vigneault still remains in the mix, and is still the favorite to land the job, as he should be. It simply makes sense. It will allow the Rangers to slowly drift away from the hard nosed, in your face style that John Tortorella has ingrained in this franchise since 2009.
The other two candidates behind Vigneault don't make much sense either, as Mark Messier hasn't coached a single day in his life, and Lindy Ruff is basically a mirror image of Tortorella. If I'm Glen Sather, I'm drafting up Vigneault's contract right now before any other team swoops in and grabs him. He's the man for the job.
Thoughts?
