#CoachWatch appears to be coming to a close for the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday afternoon.
According to John Warwow of the Associated Press, the Sabres have agreed to hire former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma to the same position in the organization. The only part of the deal that is yet to be completed is the compensation in which the Penguins will receive from the Sabres for hiring Bylsma.
In 401 games coached in the National Hockey League, all with Pittsburgh, Bylsma finished with a 252-117-31 record over the span of six seasons.
Bylsma has won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in the 2008-09 season after replacing Michel Therrien halfway through the season.
In addition to winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, Bylsma also won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year in the 2010-11 season. That year, Bylsma led the Penguins to a 49-25-8 record, but lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.
The compensation for Bylsma is believed to be a third round draft pick within the next three seasons. Buffalo owns four third round picks in the 2016 NHL Draft, one in 2017, but zero in this year’s draft.
Keep it locked to Sabres Hockey Central for the latest on the Buffalo Sabres coaching search.