The Pittsburgh Penguins have fired General Manager Ray Shero, via NHL.com. The club hinted at big changes after stumbling out of the playoffs and they lived up to that promise by releasing their GM. However, the team decided to keep head coach Dan Bylsma despite reports suggesting he had been let go.
It’s never fun to write about an individual losing their job, but don’t feel too sorry for Shero. All signs are pointing to him landing a new job in the very near future.
PIT assistant GM Jason Botterill likely to take over on an interim basis. Shero likely to immediately become frontrunner for GM job in WSH.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 16, 2014
Now that’s interesting. Shero has built some dynamic teams, but he was often criticized for failing to find the right mix around his stars. With that in mind, it’s interesting that he may now head to Washington where he’ll likely be given the task to build around another polarizing star. How would Shero handle the challenge of building around Alex Ovechkin considering he struggled (according to his critics) to build around Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?
Shero’s critics often forget that one of his teams won the Cup back in 2008-09. They also made the Final back in 2007-08. He proved he can build a winner, but the decision to shake things up in Pittsburgh perfectly reflects the “what have you done for me lately?” mentality. Shero in Washington would be a fascinating move.
