The Pittsburgh Penguins had one of their worst collapses in franchise history when they blew a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. This is their second blown 3-1 series lead in four years.
The first was in 2011 against Tampa Bay when Pittsburgh was without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin due to injuries. There’s going to be a ton of changes to Pittsburgh this summer. What’s next? Who goes and who stays? Let’s take a look at some of the potential changes.
In my mind, it starts with the head coach, Dan Bylsma. This was his fifth full season as the Penguins head coach and it couldn’t have ended any worse for him in the playoffs. The Pens started out good and the team headed into the playoffs despite all of the injuries but somehow it seems Bylsma lost the team.
Pittsburgh came out flat in Games 5-7 and never looked the same after they won Game 4. It seemed like Pittsburgh turned on him and just gave up which seems ridiculous considering the Penguins had a 3-1 series lead.
There are reports now saying that Penguin players thought practices were too long and that there was “harsh criticism” from Dan Bylsma. Seriously? Players need to grow up. If you can’t take criticism from your head coach, then you really shouldn’t be playing in the NHL plain and simple.
In the years that followed the Stanley Cup win in 2009, Bylsma’s club lost to a lower seeded team each year. Playoff success is going to have to happen but I don’t think Bylsma can get them there. While he may be a great coach his team no longer responds to him and that’s why Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle will fire him.
Next up we have General Manager Ray Shero who also may end up in the unemployment line. According to reports, owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle are torn on what to do right now. Lemieux wants to keep him but Burkle wants to let him go.
The logical choice here is to keep him. I’m a huge supporter in Ray Shero even though he hasn’t done very well with draft picks and made some questionable free agent decisions. He’s made some great trades to get great players but and some that haven’t worked out as well.
The worst signing he had was last summer when he brought back Rob Scuderi for four years after he went to the Kings. Scuderi was awful this year and just didn’t play well. The Penguins needed a defensive minded blue liner and Scuderi fit the bill. It was a gamble that didn’t pay off, the type that could swing Shero’s fate in the wrong direction.
If you’re Pittsburgh, you kneed to keep Shero. Trust him to make the right moves this offseason to make the team better. Given the other options that might be potential replacements, Shero deserves a full offseason to reload the Penguins for another run in 2014-15.
Given the failures of the current roster, expect the Penguins to be players in the trade and open market with free agency. The salary cap of the Penguins is currently the highest in the league and while the cap is projected to increase and give the Pens some more room, there are several contract extensions that kick in for the 2014-15 season.
With a number of contracts expiring on July 1, the Penguins will be busy making some hard decisions about players that they would like to see on the roster next season. They will have an amnesty clause to void out a contract that they would like to get rid of and will have roughly $2 million per player to spend to fill the 23 man roster.
James Neal is the name that has been tossed around the most for a possible trade. HE has a relatively soft $5 million cap hit and could fetch a nice return. Players like Evander Kane and Ryan Kesler would certainly look nice in the black and gold and have shown that they can produce in the playoffs.
Kris Letang could also be involved in trade talks as his salary more than doubles next season. Crosby and Malkin are untouchable and the Penguins won’t even consider moving the foundations of the franchise.
While the sting of another early playoff exit is fresh for the Pittsburgh faithful, there is no reason to panic and burn the building to the ground. While it may be frustrating to accept, the state of the franchise is certainly enviable around the league. That being said, the Penguins are set to make some significant changes this summer so buckle up and get your popcorn ready!