Penguins hire Dan Muse as new head coach

Muse comes to the Penguins after working the past two seasons with the New York Rangers under Peter Laviolette as an assistant coach. During his first year with the team, the Blueshirts won the President’s Trophy. However, this past season saw the Rangers miss the playoffs, leading to Laviolette, Muse, and the rest of his staff being let go.

Prior to working on Broadway in New York, Muse worked on another Broadway, spending three seasons as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators from 2017 to 2020.

Along with his experience at the professional level, he also worked in the college and junior ranks. He served as an assistant coach at Yale University for five years, helping guide the team to its first NCAA Championship in 2013. Then, he was the head coach for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League, winning the Clark Cup in 2017 before making the jump to the NHL.

Muse has also worked with a couple of U.S. teams that took home hardware. He was the video coach for the American squad that won gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship and was a two-time bench boss for Team USA at the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, coaching the team to gold in 2023.

Dubas cited Muse’s experience in developing young talent as a key reason he was the right person for the job.

“What separated Dan was his ability to develop players,” Dubas said in a release. “Win at all levels where he has been a head coach and his consistent success coaching special teams in the NHL. From his success in developing college and junior players, to his impactful work with veteran players during his time in the NHL, Dan has shown a proven ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential.”

Muse will be asked to help the Penguins rebuild after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs three years in a row, even with aging stars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.