Dan Bylsma Agrees to Multi-Year Extension With Penguins

When Dan Bylsma took over behind the bench as the Penguins interim head coach, the season was looking bleak. They were sputtering along at a 27-25-5 pace, sitting outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Some people (including yours truly) were so down on the current squad that it appeared as if a coaching change wouldn't make much of a difference. So much for that.

A coaching change and a couple of astute roster moves later (hello Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin), and the Penguins are one of the hottest teams in the NHL, awaiting a second-round opponent after dispatching the Flyers. Apparently that was all the Penguins front office needed to see, as they signed Bylsma to a long-term contract extension on Monday night, removing the "interim" tag.

Here's what Penguins general manager Ray Shero had to say, via Penguins.com:

"Dan has done such an impressive job with our team, both on and off the ice, that we didn't see the need to wait any longer to announce our decision," said Ray Shero, the Penguins' executive vice president and general manager. "He is the man we want to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins as our head coach."

Under Bylsma's watch, including playoffs, the Penguins are on a 22-5-4 run, and preparing to take on either Washington, Boston, Carolina or New Jersey in the second round (depending on what happens Tuesday night).

Prior to sitting behind the bench in Pittsburgh, Bylsma, 38, was the head coach for the team's AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, after spending two years as an assistant coach with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and New York Islanders. He played nine years in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, scoring 19 goals and registering 43 assists.

This move is a no-brainer for the Penguins, as they've been a completely different team with Bylsma as head coach. They're certainly a more aggressive team, spending significantly more time in the offensive zone creating chances than they did under Michel Therrien in the first half of the season. Granted, the additions of Kunitz, Guerin and Craig Adams have a lot to do with that (not to mention the return of Sergei Gonchar), but you could see the transformation taking place prior to the trade deadline when those players were acquired.