Sabres name Bylsma head coach; reportedly agree to 5-year deal

The Buffalo Sabres have hired Dan Bylsma as their new head coach.

The Sabres will give the Pittsburgh Penguins a third-round draft pick next season as compensation.

Bylsma signed a five-year contract, TSN's Darren Dreger reports. The deal will pay him about $3 million, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The team introduced Bylsma at a press conference Thursday afternoon.

He was fired as Penguins head coach last June after a second-round playoff exit at the hands of the New York Rangers.

Bylsma is Pittsburgh's all-time franchise leader in wins with 252 in 401 games over six seasons. He won the Jack Adams Award as the league's top coach in 2011.

He becomes the 17th head coach in Sabres history. He is the most experienced coach to join the organization since Buffalo hired Scotty Bowman in 1979.

The Sabres fired Ted Nolan last month after the club finished with the worst record in the NHL.