Report: Devils' Shero believed to have acquired permission to court Dan Bylsma

The Penguins are crossing state lines.

New Jersey Devils GM and former Stanley Cup architect with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ray Shero, is believed to have acquired permission to speak with Dan Bylsma about the team's head coaching vacancy, reports Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Bylsma was at the helm for Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup championship in 2009, four months after receiving the call from Shero to take the reins of his under-performing contender. But after a fifth consecutive playoff defeat to lesser seeds to follow that championship run, each were handed walking papers last June.

Bylsma owns a .668 regular season winning percentage, achieved in tandem with Shero, which currently ranks higher than the elite likes of Mike Babcock, Bruce Boudreau, and Todd McLellan.

Jim Rutherford and Mike Johnston, who took over for Shero and Bylsma, have since guided the Penguins to their worst finish since Sidney Crosby's rookie season.