New Coach Dan Muse had very little experience as a Head Coach and is now taking the league by storm. How has he been able to revamp this Penguins team into a monster.
This past spring, the Pittsburgh Penguins shocked the hockey world, announcing longtime Head Coach Mike Sullivan had agreed to part ways with the franchise, after nearly a decade with the team. His firing was a shock, not due to his current success, but the fact that Coach Sully had been a staple of Penguins hockey during the Crosby era, winning back-to-back cups in 2016 and 2017. The firing came off of a 2024 season to forget for the Penguins, finishing 7th in the Metropolitan division, with lackluster performances from all of about three players all season long.
This wasn’t an outlier either, the end of Coach Sullivan’s tenure saw the Penguins miss the playoffs three straight seasons, the only time it had ever happened with the legendary big three trio of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang. The question arose, was it Sullivan? A lackluster roster? The aging core the Penguins have had for 20 years? Though there are still questions around the Penguins roster, the team has come out of the gate strong, which can be attributed to the fresh start brought in when Dan Muse was hired.
Road to the Show
Coach Muse has seen success at all levels, though primarily as an assistant coach. Muse’s first job came as an assistant coach to NCAA Yale, winning a national championship with the Bulldogs. His first head coaching stint was a successful one in Chicago, winning the USHL’s Clark Cup with the Chicago Steel in 2017. What set apart Muse from other candidates for the Penguins job would be his coaching experience with the United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) and his gold medal as head coach of the U18 World Championship team, proving his ability to coach and develop young players into stars across the globe. With the Penguins core declining, it was clear they needed to retool with youth, and Muse’s experience developing stars would be a key piece to the future. Thus, the Penguins made the change, hiring Dan Muse as the 23rd Head Coach in Pittsburgh Penguins history.
A New Era
The Penguins raced out of the gates in the 2025 season under Muse, ending October 8-2-2, tied for first in the NHL, and the team’s best start since their last playoff series win in 2017. It can’t be understated how much of this can be attributed to Dan Muse’s coaching style and ability to develop, as in their late 30’s, Crosby and Malkin are near top of the league in points, being surrounded by young players to refresh their aging legs. Muse has used Penguins rookie stars such as 1st round pick Ben Kindel and Ville Koivunen to pair with the two legends, not only giving the youth valuable experience, but giving the veterans star playmakers to help rack up points in the young season. Even fellow legend Erik Karlsson has looked refreshed this season, which is amazing to see as Karlsson is the highest paid Penguins player. It appears Dan Muse has been a breath of fresh air for this declining Penguins core, but is it sustainable?
Looking Ahead
Though the Penguins appear to be a brand-new team, sustainability is a huge question for this roster for the rest of this season. Though the veteran core is currently turning back the clock to their primes, Evgeni Malkin has seen a steady decline throughout the past few seasons, appearing tired and lazy at times.
Dan Muse will have to find a way to make sure the 39 year old star can maintain his success through a long NHL season. Also, the goaltending has been an issue of the past, and though the tandem of Arturs Silovs and Tristan Jarry has been great to start, Silovs is inexperienced at this level, and Jarry has been prone to collapse, questioning if this is just a fast start, or if the two goalies are breaking out. One thing is for certain: Penguins hockey is fun to watch again!
After three disappointing seasons, I am seeing my childhood heroes regain their legs with this new coaching staff, leading to an exciting first few weeks as a fan. I do question the sustainability of this roster for a whole season, but Coach Muse has brought life back to PPG Paints arena on 5th Avenue, and I am looking forward to watching my Penguins battle it out the rest of the way.
