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Dan Bylsma waiting for next opportunity: 'In my life, there’s no precedent'

The moment a National Hockey League coach is fired, you can bet Dan Bylsma's name will be the first to be mentioned as the top candidate. 

As of Sunday evening, however, Bylsma hadn't received a call from any interested teams since reportedly being in the mix for vacancies in Vancouver and Florida this past summer. 

Until the phone rings, he remains in unfamiliar territory.

“In my life, there’s no precedent for this,” Bylsma told Craig Custance of ESPN. “I have no idea if there was going to be a call, how it would come, how it’s supposed to happen.” 

He senses that opportunities may open up sooner than later, and isn't ruling out any possibility, regardless of where potential suitors rank in the current landscape.

“I’m not going to say, it has to be a Stanley Cup contender and I’ll go there,” he said. “People ask all the time about the ideal job - the ideal situation doesn't factor into it. It’s just not part of the thinking.

“It’s thinking about an opportunity. Let’s put it this way, if the team was bottom five in the league right now, that doesn't rule it out.” 

After retiring from the NHL as a player following the 2003-04 season, Bylsma began his coaching career the following season. He was head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when the call came from then-general manager Ray Shero that his services were required at the NHL level.

Fired at the end of last season, Bylsma - who guided the Penguins to a Stanley Cup in 2009 - admits to keeping an eye on struggling teams around the NHL, but also recently took a week-long hunting trip, suggesting he's not fretting too much over his employment status.

Still, he might want to make sure his phone is charged at all times, because it will likely start ringing before the season is over.

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