Will a former Buffalo Sabres head coach redeem himself in the AHL?

Former Buffalo Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma recently signed on to become the head coach of the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. 

The Buffalo Sabres were delivered a set of fools gold when they hired Dan Bylsma following his departure from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Before he came to Buffalo, Bylsma never experienced a losing season. But by the time that his tenure ended with the Sabres, he suffered two in a row and he has not served as an NHL head coach since.

But that didn’t stop the Seattle Kraken from knocking on the door. As is the case with many expansion teams who scour their respective leagues in search of past names to stir excitement, the Kraken hired him as a consultant for the Charlotte Checkers while their own AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, were in the works.

Will former Buffalo Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma redeem himself in the AHL?

Of course, Bylsma’s tenure as head coach in Buffalo was not terrible, as he posted an 88-93-23 record in two seasons. Sabres management fired him because he was reportedly clashing with several players, most notably, the one and only Jack Eichel (is anyone surprised?).

Anyway, Bylsma landed as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings before he left for the AHL’s Checkers. Something the head coach reportedly envisioned, according to The Athletic. Here is a snippet from his phone conversation with the outlet:

"“I knew (after leaving the Red Wings) it was probably going to be in the AHL. I would say it doesn’t take a second to figure out, when coaching spots become available in the National Hockey League, the names that are involved in coaches searches and who might be possibilities. And so to get back in it, when I decided to leave Detroit last summer, the AHL was the direction I was leaning in.” – via The Athletic."

While it’s never easy to coach an expansion team, as is the case with the Firebirds, it also grants Bylsma a rare opportunity. He already set the foundation last season. Now he can build a winning culture in Coachella.

Bylsma pulled off some admirable coaching feats in the past, like winning the Stanley Cup in his first half-season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. During his tenure in Pittsburgh, he also never missed the playoffs.

And while his stint with Buffalo was not a good one, it also wasn’t terrible. Following his firing, Bylsma realized it would take a few years before another head coaching job came knocking at the door, so he bid his time in Detroit.

Now that things are coming full circle, an older, wiser Bylsma is taking on the challenge of coaching an expansion AHL team. And given his expertise, drive, and patience, he has all the pieces in place to start a redemption campaign.

Article source: A different Dan Bylsma becomes a head coach again with Kraken’s AHL Coachella Valley by Rob Rossi.