from Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

Dan Bylsma talked Sunday as if he knows he will be coaching the Penguins next season. He flat said of Marc-Andre Fleury, "He's our No. 1 goalie. He will be going forward. ... He's going to play great. There's no question about that. He's going to win a lot of hockey games for this team." Bylsma went on to say that Tomas Vokoun will return to his backup role next season. It's hard to believe he went public with that information without approval from general manager Ray Shero. Actually, it's hard to believe Shero didn't tell him to say it considering Bylsma had no confidence in Fleury in these playoffs and played him in relief in just one of 11 games after benching him for Vokoun after Game 4 of the first-round series against the New York Islanders.

Bylsma, whose job security has been the No. 1 topic around town since the Penguins were eliminated Friday night by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference final, said he had not talked to Shero about his future. That's also hard to believe. Shero was unavailable for comment because of a personal situation and won't address the media until Wednesday. It won't be surprising if he announces a contract extension for Bylsma, who's believed to have one year left on his current deal. No one wants a coach in that situation.

Extending -- not firing -- Bylsma will be the right thing for Shero to do.

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