Lyle Kossis: Why Dan Bylsma Would be the Perfect Coach for the Panthers

Editor’s Note: Lyle Kossis of Pensburgh took the time to write why he believes Dan Bylsma, former head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, would be an ideal fit for the Florida Panthers vacant coaching position. Be sure to follow Lyle on twitter: @LyleKossis

News broke this week that Dan Bylsma interviewed for the head coaching job with the Florida Panthers.  Dale Tallon was quoted as saying that Bylsma “interviewed strong,” and that he was being seriously considered for the job.  With Bylsma so close to the head coaching job in Florida, I’d like to take a look at why he makes sense for the Panthers.

When Bylsma took over the Penguins in 2009, they had just come off a Stanley Cup Final appearance and had expectations to win the Cup that year.  The problem was that Michel Therrien—seemingly against all odds—had coached a team led by Crosby and Malkin to 10th place in the Eastern Conference.  That put them outside the playoff picture and in a position that was unacceptable to management.  So they took extreme action and fired Therrien (a coach they just signed to a three-year deal) and replaced him with Bylsma.

One of the best things Bylsma did is that he made wholesale changes to the system and got the players to buy in almost overnight.  One of the ways we can tell this is by looking at the team’s possession totals.  In 2007-2008 under Therrien, the Penguins were one of the worst possession teams in the league, sporting a 46.51% FF in score-close situations, which bested only three other teams.  The Penguins went on their playoff run thanks to hot goaltending and high shooting percentages, but the problem persisted the following year.  The Penguins were again an awful possession team under Michel Therrien in 2009, and they were drowning because the percentages didn’t break in their favor.

Bylsma’s changes were extreme—as were the results.  As Nick Emptage has noted, in “terms of increasing puck possession, the best coaching changes since 2007 would be Michel Therrien to Dan Bylsma in Pittsburgh (46.3% Fenwick Close to 52.6%).”  To put those numbers in different terms, a 46.3% Fenwick Close would place the Penguins among the five worst teams in the league that year; their jump under Bylsma to nearly 53% would place them comfortably in the top six.

Aside from getting his message through quickly and winning the Stanley Cup (no big deal), Bylsma instituted a system that saw the Penguins routinely finish among the elite teams in terms of puck possession.  They maintained this superiority through 2011-2012, coming back down to Earth in the lockout-shortened season when the team had to adjust to life without Jordan Staal.  But this year they were back on the right track in terms of puck possession until the team went on a historic run of injuries.

Some Panthers fans could worry that Bylsma only looked like a good coach because he got to coach elite talent.  But in 2010-2011, the Penguins lost Crosby and Malkin for the second half of the regular season and had neither of them in the playoffs.  Yet the Penguins still finished the year as a really good possession team, and finished 4th in the conference in terms of playoff seeding.  The Penguins were also victimized by injuries in 2012 and 2014, but that never stopped Bylsma’s team from qualifying for the playoffs.  Apart from Crosby and Malkin, Bylsma knew what he was doing.

The Panthers have elite talent of their own, of course. With Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad, and Jonathan Huberdeau, Bylsma will have plenty of players to shape as time goes on.  The mandate will no doubt be to turn this team (and those players) into possession monsters who can start reliably out-scoring and out-possessing the opposition.  Fortunately, Bylsma seems to get through to the young guys.  Early on his tenure with the Penguins, Bylsma was known as a high-energy guy, a persona which meshes well with young talent.  That article quoted Jordan Staal as saying that “[e]very morning it seems like [Bylsma’s] got about 10 cups of coffee in him. He’s an exciting guy to meet in the morning.”  Staal had more to say:

“I’m usually not a morning guy, but with him, every day seems like a new day and there’s something new to learn. He takes ownership to do that and get everyone else on the same page and be excited about learning and getting better. It’s exciting to drive to the rink and know that’s what you’re coming to.”

The ideal scenario for the Panthers is that this level of enthusiasm carries over and begins to permeate a team that has not found themselves in playoff contention as often as they would have liked. With young players on their roster—a la Jordan Staal in 2010—the potential is there for Bylsma’s message to get through.

Some folks might still be apprehensive because Bylsma was fired, and the lingering question would be: why hire a coach who just failed?  I don’t think that that should be a concern.  Bylsma is not a toxic former coach like John Tortorella, who seems to destroy the offensive potential of his teams and bring the Rangers (and now the Canucks) clearly out of contender status.  I think that Bylsma was largely a victim of a less than ideal roster and practically unattainable expectations in Pittsburgh.

Those issues are less of a concern in Florida, though, which means the scene is set for the Panthers to become a force in the Eastern Conference.  If they select Bylsma as their next head coach, they’ll be well on their way.

Panthers Sign 2012 Third-Round Pick Steven Hodges

Sunday evening, the Florida Panthers announced their 5th prospect signing of the off-season, inking center Steven Hodges to an entry-level deal. Hodges, 20, was selected in the 3rd round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh.

The gritty centerman has spent the last 5 seasons with both the Chilliwack Bruins and the Victoria Royals of the WHL. This year, although plagued with injuries, Hodges managed to tally an impressive 47 points in 52 regular season games. Adding to this impressive feat, Hodges lead all skaters on the Royals in playoff points with 10 points (4g-6a) in 9 games.

Hockey’s Future Talent Analysis on Steven Hodge’s:

“Hodges is an excellent skater who has shown a nose for the net and has some grit to his game. He has a high hockey IG and makes solid reads at both ends of the ice. At this stage, Hodges appears to be a candidate for second- or third-line duty, assuming he improves his two-way play. Hodges added height and weight last season and now stands at 6’0 and 175 pounds but he will have to get stronger in order to be effective at higher levels of hockey.”

In adding more depth at center, the middle of the ice for Florida and San Antonio is starting to take shape. Both Panthers’ and Rampage fans can take solace in knowing that Hodges, Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad, Brandon Pirri, Drew Shore, Ryan Martindale, Vincent Trocheck and Rocco Grimaldi will make up a strong centering core for years to come.

 

We welcome your comments and feedback!

Follow Paige on Twitter @PaigeLewisFL

For All Your Florida Panthers’ Updates Follow Panther Parkway on Facebook

Follow Panther Parkway on Instagram @ PantherParkway

 

Nick Bjugstad Finishes Rookie Season With Top Marks on The Ice And in The Classroom

As several of his teammates head east to Minsk, Belarus, and this year’s IIHF World Championships, Florida Panthers center Nick Bjugstad will instead travel west to his home state of Minnesota.

Originally thought to be a shoe-in for Team USA’s World Championships roster, Bjugstad’s suspicious snub actually makes sense when you realize that the competition conflicts with possibly an even greater event in his life – his college graduation.

Unbeknownst to many, Bjugstad spent the second half of the 2013-14 season not only being graded on his face-off percentage and point total, but also his work in the classroom as he pushed to earn the final credits he needed to obtain a degree in Business Marketing from the University of Minnesota.

“All done,” Bjugstad said after practice on April 2 with his final course completed – a five-week economics class. “I should be able to walk in May with my class, so that’ll be kinda cool. I was pretty excited to get that done.”

Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Bjugstad (Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)

A first-round pick (19th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Bjugstad played for three years at the University of Minnesota before forgoing his senior season and making his NHL debut for the Panthers on April 6, 2013.

However, at just 21 years old and only just beginning his promising young career in the NHL, Bjugstad admits that he hasn’t fully moved on from his college lifestyle.

“I still kinda live like a college kid anyways,” Bjugstad said. “Taking the classes and still talking to all my college buddies. I moved on a little bit from school since you obviously don’t have to go to class, but online work, you have to have some self motivation to do that.”

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How to Improve The Florida Panthers’ Brand

When new owner Vincent Viola took the reins of the Florida Panthers prior to the start of the 2013-14 season, he made it very clear that the team would no longer be content to simply survive in Florida, but flourish instead.

As the inaugural season of the Viola-Cifu era comes to a close, both players and management have already begun to look ahead to an offseason in which new ownership will have the time and planning to truly make their mark both on and off the ice.

With that in mind, there are several key areas that should be addressed if the organization hopes to go from a perpetual sideshow to a respected franchise.

Some areas in need of change are obvious.

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Panther Parkway Radio: Season Review, Coaching, Draft, Free Agency & Who Should Stay?

Tune in to tonight’s show where we discuss the biggest Florida Panthers news of the week!

Host: Paige Lewis

Guests: Frank Rekas, Dave Lasseter, Jameson Cooper and Mike Lewis (no relations to Paige)

Topics

  • Season Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
  • Coaching change?
  • Draft Lottery/Draft Day
  • 5 guys you would want in Free Agency
  • Veterans. Who stays, who goes?
  • Does Dan Ellis have a future with the Cats?
  • Tanner Glass makes the world go ’round.

New Episode Here

We welcome your comments and feedback!

Follow Paige on Twitter @PaigeLewisFL

For All Your Florida Panthers’ Updates Follow Panther Parkway on Facebook

Follow Panther Parkway on Instagram @ PantherParkway

Panther Parkway Post-Game: Panthers vs. Blue Jackets

Stars of the game

1st: Ryan Johansen (1G-1A-2P)

2nd: Jimmy Hayes (1G-0A-1P)

3rd: Mark Letestu (1G-0A-1P)

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The Future of the Florida Panthers Blue Line is Bright

With one game remaining in the 2013-2014 regular season, the Florida Panthers find themselves in all too familiar territory. Last season, the Panthers finished dead last in both Goals Against per Game (GA/G) and the Penalty Kill (PK%), and this year has been no different. Currently ranked 27th in GA/G, allowing 3.20 goals per game, and 30th in PK%, Dale Tallon and the Hockey Operations staff may have their work cut out for them this summer, whether it be via Free Agency or trades.

Fast-forward to the very near future, and the Panthers may have something they’ve longed for since Tallon was hired as the General Manager of the Panthers; flexibility to spend and depth on defense.

Though the Panthers have struggled offensively in recent years, drafting centers Aleksander Barkov and Nick Bjugstad will finally give the Cats the stability up the middle for the first time since the Jokinen era. While drafting these mammoth centermen was the correct choice for any GM in Tallon’s position to make, the current blue line still leaves something to be desired.

Luckily for Panthers’ fans, Tallon has done a superb job of drafting Grade A defensemen during his tenure as the Panthers General Manager. While Dmitry Kulikov, Erik Gudbranson and Dylan Olsen remain the face of the Panthers young defensive core, there are a handful of reliable defensemen in the Cats prospect pool just waiting for their chance at the big show.

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Panther Parkway Post-Game: Panthers vs. Leafs

Stars of the game

1st: Nick Bjugstad (2G-1A-3P)

2nd: Brad Boyes (1G-1A-2P)

3rd: Sean Bergenheim (0G-2A-2P)

Goals (Panthers 4, Leafs 2)

FLA: Brandon Pirri (13) Assists: Quinton Howden, Brian Campbell

TOR: Tyler Bozak (19) Assists: Jake Gardiner, James van Riemsdyk

FLA: Brad Boyes (21) Assists: Nick Bjugstad, Sean Bergenheim

FLA: Nick Bjugstad (15) Assists: Sean Bergenheim, Brad Boyes

FLA: Nick Bjugstad (16) (Short-Handed) Assists: Tomas Fleischmann, Colby Robak

TOR: Paul Ranger (6) Assists: Tyler Bozak, Jake Gardiner

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Nick Bjugstad on The Verge of Making Panthers History

SUNRISE, Fla — Just one game remaining in the Florida Panthers 2013-14 season and rookie center Nick Bjugstad has a chance to make history.

With 81 games already in the books, Bjugstad currently sits atop the Panthers’ scoring list with 38 (16-22-38) total points. If he can manage to hold onto this lead with just one more game to play, he will become the fist Panthers’ rookie to ever win the team’s scoring title.

Bjugstad entered Thursday night’s game against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs in the midst of a four-game scoring drought, but still just two points behind Scottie Upshall’s team-leading 37 points.

After notching one assist through the first two periods, Bjugstad netted his first goal since March 1 on a beautiful wrap-around that squeaked past Maple Leafs’ goaltender Drew Macintyre at 3:23 of the third period.

[Read more...]

Florida Panthers and the Role of Leadership in the NHL

The leadership debate has been kicked into high gear recently in the hockey world and everyone who’s everyone is throwing in their two cents (5 cents if you’re from Canada). Leadership is a tricky notion in any realm to define and quantify, but in the sports world leadership is more like an omnipotent force than quantifiable trait. The inspiration for this piece comes from Steve (Dangle) Glynn, who debates the quantities/qualities of leadership in this video: http://theleafsnation.com/2014/4/7/leadership-in-hockey-what-s-that

Steve questions whether or not leadership is even real, if it’s tangible based on goals, hits, motivational speeches etc. It’s a great video; I’d check it out if I were you.

So what is it? What is leadership?

To re-hash and expand on what Steve said: Is leadership defined by production? Fighting? The notion of clutch-ness? (That’s a whole other can of worms)

Is it defined by being vocal in the locker room? On the bench? On the ice?

Is it by example? Putting your body on the line to help your team win? Attending charity events? Being available to the media no matter the situation?

Is it how you interact with your teammates? Patting them on the back when they do something right? Teaching them when they did something wrong? Calming them down when they’re making mistakes?

Is it just being old? How many cups you’ve won? How many years you’ve been in the league?

To me, leadership is a mixed bag. It’s a combination/selection of everything I listed above and more.

You can sense leadership in sport (and life, really) at any level, from the professional grade to the beer league. There are people who others gravitate to for inspiration, support, guidance or security. There are people who possess those unquantifiable quantifiable qualities that make people gravitate to them.

The term “Leadership” is used so often these days so it’s not insane to see why it’s been watered down and questioned as much as it is being. When a team wins or loses, part of that result was due to what we call leadership. Players cite their captains, alternates, goal scorers, grinders, goalies, coaches etc. as people who were impactful on the game’s outcome. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes and are defined by the many variations of leadership. There’s not just one answer, there’s not just one quality, leadership is an orchestra.

When it comes to a team’s captaincy group, I have no doubt that whoever makes the decision takes all of these qualities into account. Technically a team only has captains and alternates so that there is a designated group of people to talk to officials. Obviously that has evolved into what we have today. Being a captain or an alternate is seen as a prestigious honor.

We rank the best captains; we debate if a player should be captain, we even put more weight on a goal when it was scored by a captain or when captains fight! Obviously leadership matters in the NHL and whatever you quantify leadership as it has an impact on how you watch the game and how the game is played.

[Read more...]

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