What Are the Penguins Actually Doing?

For a franchise that spent the most of its first four decades dealing with a carousel of owners, the threat of reloaction and no stability, seemed to have it all figured out around 2007.

The Lemiuex-Burkle ownership, a new arena deal and a 30-year lease was a breath of fresh air for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans.

But then on Friday morning, the announcement of the personnel change in the organization left fans and media scratching their heads, making the team look unstable in the front office in regards to making tough decisions.

There was talk of "sweeping changes" coming for the organization following another disappointing playoff run for the fifth straight season. A clear consensus showed that many believed head coach Dan Bylsma would be the most likely candidate to be shown the door by the weekend.

Another reality was that Ray Shero, who helped make the Penguins Stanley Cup Champions in 2009, but yet, has been the other half of the Penguins playoff problems over the last five years, could be let go too.

Friday morning was judgement day for both Bylsma and Shero. Or so we thought.

Despite a report from the always reliable Bob McKenzie of TSN, Penguins President David Morehouse announced that only Ray Shero was being relieved of his duties, leaving Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Dejan Kovacevic to ask the obvious question.

"Just to be 100% clear here, you have not fired Dan Bylsma?" To which Morehouse responded, "That's correct, we have not fired Dan Bylsma."

So, after all the reports, and the obvious assumption that Bylsma and Shero would be fired to create a clean slate for the Penguins to start over with, the Penguins decided to fire the general manager, and let the new guy evaluate the coaching staff and then eventually fire Bylsma?

To add to all the awkwardness of the press conference, Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle were nowhere to be found, until later on when Kovacevic and Post-Gazette columnist, Gene Collier, got their take on the decision to fire Shero, which angered beat writers who cover the team.

It does sound simple when said by Morehouse, but it really isn't. Is there a reason behind treating Bylsma like a death row inmate in California, not knowing when his fate will be decided?

There have been some "theories" regarding why the Penguins decided not to sack Disco Dan on Friday.

The one gaining the most traction is the fear that Bylsma and Shero will reunite and head to the Washington Capitals, a new division rival of the Penguins, or to keep him from coaching the Carolina Hurricanes, who are also in the badly-named Metropolitan Division.

Until the Penguins choose Shero's successor, Dan Bylsma remains the head coach of the Penguins. Question is, who will be the next general manager?

Current interim GM Jason Botterill is a candidate. While qualified to fill the position, he did work under Shero. If the Penguins want change, Botterill may not be the route to go.

Another one is Sidney Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson. While it may please the Pittsburgh captain, it would be like when you played peewee hockey and your head coach was the father of one of the players on the team. Too much talk of nepotism and some awkwardness would derive from that move. It's another Milbury talking point at intermission on NBCSN waiting to happen.

Will this newly hired general manager evaluate the staff and decided to keep Dan Bylsma? There's a 1.5% chance that actually happens, especially if the Penguins bring in an outsider to fill the position. That guy will want the ability to hire a coach of his liking.

There's the next question, who gets hired to be the next coach if or when Bylsma gets relieved of his duties? 

Again, talk of the Penguins persuing Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, names like Mike Keenan and Barry Trotz being aimlessly tossed around like a puck on a Pittsburgh power play.

Here's the answer to all these questions as of today: We Don't Know Anything. When we don't know anything, it makes many question if the organization knows what they're doing.

The only thing we know, as reported by Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is that the new GM will report directly to Morehouse, and not Lemieux and Burkle like Shero did.

In this situation, the only thing Pens fans can do is sit back, watch the rest of the playoffs and wait for the next hat to drop down at CONSOL Energy Center while assuming anything can happen.

As Phil Bourque says, "Buckle up Baby!"