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CHICAGO -- The Pittsburgh Penguins could have blown it all up. Elite Panthers Jerseys . Swept out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the Eastern Conference final by the Boston Bruins, speculation swirled about the futures of coach Dan Bylsma, superstar Evgeni Malkin and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Amid calls for action, general manager Ray Shero got busy after the Penguins were ousted. But his moves have been the opposite of a complete overhaul. "Its easy to change," Shero said Wednesday in Pittsburgh. Shero extended Bylsma and his assistants contracts two years through the 2015-16 season, gave Fleury a vote of confidence as the teams franchise goaltender and then Thursday agreed to terms with Malkin on an eight-year, $76-million contract extension that could keep him with the Penguins for the balance of his NHL career. It was the equivalent of doubling-down on what has worked so well for years, even though it didnt end well in the playoffs. "I think Ray believes in the core group that he has, and he believes he can win with them," Malkins agent, J.P. Barry, said in a phone interview. "They made the final four this year, again, and they had a bad round, for sure. But I think he believes in this core and he wants to stay the course and believes his team can win. Thats ultimately what his assessment was." Its an assessment that some general managers might not have made, given the raw emotions of the Penguins going from Cup favourites to victims of a sweep in less than a week. Shero cited the Detroit Red Wings as a model of continuity, and staying the course in Pittsburgh follows what he believes is a similar pattern. Next season will be Sheros eighth as GM and Bylsmas fourth full one as head coach. It will be the seventh season with Malkin, Fleury, captain Sidney Crosby and defenceman Kris Letang playing together, more than four years removed from that core group winning the Stanley Cup. In not firing Bylsma and instead extending him, Shero followed his idea of sticking with a path that he believes in, no matter the external criticism. "Public sentiment sometime isnt kind," Shero said. "I believe in Dan Bylsma, and I believe in our coaching staff." Believing in a Cup-winning coach who very well could lead the U.S. team in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi doesnt take much of a leap of faith, and neither does committing to Malkin, who led the Penguins with 16 points in the playoffs despite being held to zero in the conference final. Fleurys playoff stumbles couldve been a tougher sell, but Bylsma and Shero made it clear that the 28-year-old was their goaltender of the present and future. "The faith I have in Marc-Andre Fleury hasnt waned," Shero said. Nor has Malkins faith in the direction of the franchise that gave the No. 2 pick in the 2004 draft a $10-million signing bonus and a $9.5-million cap hit on par with that of No. 1 selection Alex Ovechkin. "We won Stanley Cup before and I believe we will win again because its good people, good guys," Malkin said on a conference call Thursday. "This here is good team, and I hope we win Stanley Cup." Before the Penguins take another run at it, more questions are left to be answered. Letang is entering the final year of his contract, and Shero told reporters in Pittsburgh on Thursday that he didnt know how the process would go toward securing an extension. Pascal Dupuis, Matt Cooke and deadline acquisitions Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow and Douglas Murray are all set to be unrestricted free agents July 5. Shero realizes that, given salary-cap restraints, his team "is going to change, and thats the way it is." But thanks to moves that keep Bylsma and Malkin around for at least a little while, the Penguins wont undergo a total team makeover this summer. And thats more than OK with Malkin. "Its not a surprise for me," he said. "I know everyone thought wed win the Stanley Cup. I know we lost 4-0, but we can still learn (from) this year. Im glad Dan stay here, and I hope we win together." Throwback Panthers Jerseys . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Vernon Butler Jersey . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. http://www.officialpanthersnflauthenticshop.com/greg-olsen-stitched-jersey/ . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. The St. Louis Cardinals?signed former Toronto Blue Jays?reliever Brett Cecil to a four-year deal worth $30.5 million on Monday.Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said the team felt obligated to offer a fourth year to the deal because of the presence of other suitors for Cecil.I think Brett would be happy to tell you we had a lot of interest in him and we certainly value him being part of our organization, Mozeliak said. As we look at this market we really felt like he would be the key person to help us in securing a very strong bullpen moving forward.Cecil said he had never been to St. Louis before traveling with a large contingent of family members to sign his contract.This team is rich with baseball history and winning tradition, he said. Theyve always had good, winning teams and for my family and I, this is where we wanted to come.The team designated catcher Brayan Pena for assignment, in order to free a 40-man roster spot for Cecil. The Cardinnals still owe Pena $2. Camo Panthers Jerseys. .5 million next season.Signing Cecil fills a massive void in their bullpen following injuries to Zach Duke and Tyler Lyons.Cecil, 30, went 1-7 with a 3.93 ERA in 54 games with Toronto last season, his eighth with the Blue Jays. The left-hander missed six weeks early in the season because of a strained triceps but was a key contributor down the stretch for the Blue Jays, posting a 3.18 ERA after the All-Star break.Cecil was a first-round draft pick of the Blue Jays in 2007, when he was selected with the 38th overall pick.Duke is expected to miss all of next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Lyons has had offseason knee surgery that leaves him questionable for the start of the regular season.Information from ESPNs Mark Saxon and The Associated Press was included in this report. Wholesale Jerseys 2018Stitched JerseysNFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys StoreCheap Nike NFL JerseysJerseys NFL ChinaNFL Jerseys Cheap ' ' '
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