Quote:
Originally Posted by CSharp
Not so sure Byslma is all that's cracked up to be. He had Crosby, Malkin, and a lot more arsenal with the Pens for so many years and won it only once when he first took over. He's like a one hit wonder and he's probably lucky to have won it since that coaching change sparked that team late in the season. The Pens could've won it with another coach and maybe more than just one cup in a weak conference for the longest time. Heck, even Ted Nolan could've won it with that group of Pens that year.
Right now, Buffalo is in the same situation that Edmonton was in for the past 10 years or so. I think Edmonton will turn it around this year while Buffalo still have bad management, a one-dimensional coach, and a young team with no direction. They'll be the new No-Good Oilers.
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One could make many of the same arguments about Babcock -- coached an even more dominant team full of Hall of Famers to one Stanley Cup, had a bunch of good regular seasons and limited playoff success otherwise.
These last two seasons have been awful, but in the process we've established a very good core of players to build from. Post-draft we'll have two of the top three center ice prospects in the world and a fantastic crop of young defensemen (Ristolainen, Zadorov, McCabe, Pysyk) that would make just about any team jealous. We have some great veterans that signed as free agents to help lead this team (Gionta, Moulson) and some talented u-25's that have already established themselves as top 6 NHL regulars (Ennis, Kane, Girgensons). It's WAY too early to call Murray a bad manager -- his personality has left a bit to be desired but his hockey moves have been good and forward thinking. Bylsma is a Stanley Cup and recent Jack Adams award winning coach, far more pedigree than any of the jokers the Oilers ran with the last several years. And at the top of it all is Terry Pegula, who is passionate about the team and committed to building a winner instead of giving his buddies jobs and making money.
The only thing that really, desperately needs to be addressed is the goaltending situation, which it will be. This team is a long way from being in as dire of straits as the Oilers and has based their re-build on the right kinds of players (centers and big defensemen, not soft wingers). We may not be a playoff team next year but the turn-around is coming much sooner than you think.