Following a third straight playoff miss, the Pittsburgh Penguins found themselves looking for a coaching change. On April 28th 2025, the Penguins and long-time head coach Mike Sullivan mutually agreed to part ways. Sullivan coached the Penguins for nearly a decade, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups with the team in 2016 and 2017. Following these wins, the team only won a single playoff series in Sullivan’s subsequent eight seasons with the organization. With a roster dwindling in talent and a head coach itching to win, the two parties decided to make a change.
Sullivan has since moved on to the New York Rangers, taking Peter Laviolette’s role following a disappointing season. For the Penguins’ replacement, general manager Kyle Dubas avoided the usual coaching carousel. Instead, Dubas cast a wider net and on June 4th, 2025, hired Dan Muse for his first-ever NHL coaching job. Dan Muse’s journey to becoming the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins spans nearly 20 years. He’s coached at nearly every level of the sport. Starting off in Northern California, Muse and his brothers spent tons of time playing street hockey before he moved on to Division II hockey at Stonehill College. Originally looking into a career in law, Muse quickly pivoted to coaching after college, getting his start at Williams College in the 2007-08 season.
Dan Muse’s Climb Through the Coaching Ranks
Following his first year as an assistant coach, he moved to Sacred Heart University for the 2008-09 season. His first significant role came at Yale University, where he acted first as assistant coach and later associate head coach. Muse played a key role in player development and game planning, aiding Yale in winning their first-ever NCAA National Championship during the 2012-13 season. The team went 22-12-3, winning the title in the Penguins’ own Consol Energy Center. Success followed as he moved onto the Chicago Steel of the USHL, where he acted as junior-head coach. Over his two seasons with the team from 2015-2017, the team posted a record of 65-43-6-6. Like he did with Yale, Muse’s efforts led to the Steel’s first-ever Clark Cup.
Earning attention from the NHL, Muse acted as assistant coach of the Nashville Predators from 2017-2020. Coaching under Peter Laviolette, Muse focused on the penalty kill. Nashville’s penalty kill ranked sixth, fourth, and seventh-best in his three seasons with the organization. From there, Muse came back to development coaching in 2020, taking over the USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP). From 2020-2023, Muse took charge of both the U-17 and U-18 teams. The U-18 team set a record with 16 NCAA wins in one season and a gold medal at the 2023 IIHF U-18 World Championship. Prior to his hiring as Penguins coach, Muse returned to working with Peter Laviolette as an assistant coach for the New York Rangers. Being put in charge of special teams again, the Rangers’ penalty kill spiked to fourth-best in the league during their 2023-24 Presidents’ Trophy-winning season.
The Perfect Head Coach for a Pittsburgh Penguins Youth Movement
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a transitional period as an organization. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are still leading the team while in their late 30s. However, the pick of Dan Muse for head coach of the Penguins is less about the big three and more about the players that come after. While Crosby and the core are well-established NHLers, the rest of the roster is rapidly getting younger. Where Mike Sullivan was averse to slowing down and focusing on development for a few years or more, Muse’s thought process aligns far better with Kyle Dubas. Entering year three of a seven-year contract, Dubas has acknowledged on multiple occasions that his role in Pittsburgh is undertaking a massive project.
The mission is to bring the Penguins back to championship contention through the next generation, instead of living in the past. As such, he’s brought in a head coach whose history echoes this. Dan Muse has a long history of getting into the details, working with younger players and finding their strengths. In many of the place’s he’s worked, he’s had the best success with programs focused on long-term development. Like the USNTDP program, the majority of Muse’s work will be towards developing the youth in the Penguins system. Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Owen Pickering, Harrison Brunicke, and Joel Blomqvist are here now. They’re vying to be part of the next guard. Pittsburgh also holds the most picks in rounds 1-3 of the draft over the next three drafts in the entire league. These players will need support from coaches dedicated to their development long-term to build a future contender.
Head Coach Dan Muse and the Pittsburgh Penguins Going Forward
As much as there’s talk about transitioning from the old guard eventually, the time to make the transition has already come. With a roster blending youth and veteran leadership, Muse is here to bridge the gap. With an extensive past of being this kind of coach in many different leagues already, it seems general manager Kyle Dubas has found the perfect coach to align with his ethos for the organization.
Main Photo: Christopher Hanewinc- Imagn Images
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