Penguins Update: The Return of Disco Dan?

With the NHL regular season squarely in the rear-view mirror and the Stanley Cup playoffs well under way, the off-season coaching carousel has begun to turn.

Having fired their coaches, the Kraken and Sharks are seeking replacements. The Devils and Senators are in the market for new skippers as well.

A name most familiar to Penguins fans has popped up among the potential candidates.

Dan Bylsma. Or “Disco Dan,” if you prefer.

Seems like it’s been ages since the upbeat Grand Haven, Michigan, native replaced Michel Therrien as a rookie pro coach and promptly led the Pens to a searing 18-3-4 stretch run and the 2009 Stanley Cup. In the process becoming a cult hero and Steel City legend.

Knowledgeable and personable and preaching an aggressive, play-on-your-toes style, the bespectacled bench boss seemed the perfect choice to guide the high-octane Pens.

Both team and coach enjoyed plenty of success during his reign, especially during the regular season. Bylsma was the fastest coach in NHL history to reach 250 wins. Under his watch, the ‘12-13 team recorded the first perfect month in league history (a 15-0 March).

However, after winning the Jack Adams Award in 2011 for guiding an injury decimated black-and-gold squad to a 106-point season, Bylsma’s reputation began to take a hit. The ’11-12 team, arguably the deepest and most talented of the modern Pens era, suffered a humiliating and humbling first-round loss to the Flyers.

The criticism grew louder when the Pens were swept by the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final the following season and knocked out in the second-round in ’14 by the Rangers in come-from-in-front fashion. Defeats that led to Bylsma’s dismissal.

Mike Sullivan should have such failures.

Dan departed as the winningest coach in franchise history with a record of 252-117-32 and 536 points. Although since eclipsed by Sullivan (375-219-77), his .668 regular-season points percentage remains far and away the best in franchise history.

After sitting out a year, Bylsma was hired to coach Buffalo in 2015. In his first season behind the bench, he led the youthful Sabres to a 27-point improvement. In the wake of a rumored conflict with star center Jack Eichel, he was fired following the ’16-17 season.

The Sabres wouldn’t top his first-season point total (81) until ’22-23.

Next, Bylsma served as an assistant under Jeff Blashill in Detroit for three seasons (’18-21) before returning to his AHL roots as an assistant with the Charlotte Checkers.

In June of ’22, he was named head coach of Seattle’s new Coachella Valley farm team. In their inaugural season, Dan led the Firebirds to a 103-point season and a berth in the Calder Cup Final. The Firebirds repeated their success in ’23-24 with another 103-point campaign.

During his tenure with the Pens, Bylsma was often criticized for his inability to adjust, a charge refuted by former Pens winger Chris Kunitz.

“(He) made a lot of adjustments, usually from shift-to-shift,” said Kunitz. “Sometimes guys thought we could stick with one thing a little longer.”

He was also perceived as being too player friendly, a critique that may have led to him overcorrecting during his tenure with the Sabres.

One thing that’s always impressed me? I’ve never heard Dan complain a peep about a fate that some might consider harsh or unfair. Nor have I ever heard of him trying to shift blame to others. Rather, he just goes about his business in his usual enthusiastic fashion.

I, for one, am pulling for Bylsma to return to the NHL. If and when he does, I hope he’s a rousing success.