"The thought of a coaching change seemed ridiculous even a month ago."
Stopped reading there.
I mean, he's not wrong. Despite the rioting here on HFBoards and on social media, there was no indication that Bylsma was in any danger a month ago. As JJ cited, Murray's radio interviews were chock full of complaints about injuries, pointing the finger at his own roster composition (i.e., the blueline), laying fault at the feet of the players for not being ready for games, etc. He would even go out of his way to say the coaches prepared hard for opponents. I think those were far better indicators of Bylsma's future employment prospects than the ribbons of hope created in some by statements such as Murray discussing the need for better puck support through the neutral zone. Also, given that the S.S. Sabre with Murray at the helm has had more leaks than the Titanic, I think we would've heard a credible report or two that Bylsma was in some trouble.
A month ago, they were at a ~90 point pace with Eichel in the lineup. There was no way in hell Bylsma was getting fired if they stayed at or around that type of pace - especially in light of all the other injuries the team has had, such as Kulikov being a complete wash this season. Zero chance he was gone a month ago. I don't care what people feel they have to tell themselves to maintain faith in Murray - I would've bet any person on here any amount of money that if they stayed on that pace Bylsma would be back behind the bench in 2017-18.
But, with that said...
Bylsma will still be here to start next year.
But if this team is not in a playoff position at Thanksgiving (which with Bylsma at the helm is IMO a pretty good bet), he'll be out.
At this point, I think there's a better chance than not that he isn't. Given that Bylsma/Murray can't hang his/their hat on results being there when Jack was healthy, I think the exit interviews will go a long way to decide Bylsma's future. More specifically, there's 3-4 exit interviews that really matter - sorry, Zemgus, Zach, Marcus, et al., you ain't in that 3-4. I think Murray is going to try to get a feel for whether the relationship between Bylsma and the core is salvageable; if Murray feels it is, he'll be back, otherwise he won't.
I think there are real issues between Bylsma and Eichel - whether the suspected root causes of those issues (e.g., shift "benchings") should be a legitimate source of dissension is another question entirely - and I think that'll be Bylsma's undoing in Buffalo.
I think a month ago, Murray was firmly in the "retain Bylsma, overhaul the blueline, and let's see what happens in the first couple months of 2017-18" camp. Now, with what appears to be locker room in turmoil, an unhappy star player, etc., Murray's hand may be forced.
