Eighteen days after being fired by the Buffalo Sabres, former head coach Dan Bylsma finds himself once again under the spotlight. This time, however, it’s as an analyst on the NHL network, reports the Buffalo News’s Mike Harrington. Bylsma starts tomorrow night on NHL Tonight with former players Mike Johnson, Kevin Weekes, and Mike Rupp.
This is not Bylsma first go-around on television. When the Pittsburgh Penguins fired Bylsma in June 2014, he quickly joined the NHL network as an analyst during the on-going Stanley Cup Finals. Bylsma finds himself in good company as he won’t be the first former coach to use a TV job to parlay his next head coaching gig. Both Barry Melrose and Paul Maurice regained NHL coaching employment after a TV stint.
NHL Network viewers should get used to seeing Bylsma on air. Only the Florida Panthers have an available head coaching gig—aside from Buffalo of course—but there has been no indication that they are interested. Rather, the Panthers have interviewed other candidates, including former Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien. With a 252-117-32 career record, Bylsms will find work, though it’ll most likely be after some team’s midseason collapse.