“When he took over, it was in somewhat of a transition,” Schulman said. ”I like the way he has directed our team. I like the fact that a lot of good young prospects are on the horizon. He’s kept Bobby Ryan and our star players are intact and secure.

“I’m very comfortable dealing with him. He’s a very flexible guy. You know the salary-cap issues. That’s always an issue. He understands it well. I like his leadership. I like his vision.”

“We like what he’s done to our team,” Schulman said. “It’s not always just about winning, although I think at the end the result will be that. We’ll have a strong team for a lot of years going forward.

“It’s about the big picture here. You want Bob to be leading that.”