The Penguins have employed Rangers assistant coach Dan Muse as their subsequent head coach, per a staff announcement. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported minutes earlier that the rent was anticipated to get throughout the end line.
Muse is a little bit of a shock rent. He was the latest identify to be reported as a candidate for Pittsburgh’s emptiness, linked simply Tuesday by Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
Not too way back, it regarded just like the finalists for the Pens’ job have been Capitals assistant Mitch Love and Kings assistant D.J. Smith. It turned obvious that Love was out of the combo and changed by Muse as a finalist on Tuesday, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Love was labeled a reputation that Pittsburgh was comparatively excessive from the start. Nonetheless, the Penguins will as an alternative decide to poach a distinct assistant coach of their early 40s from a Metropolitan Division rival in Muse.
This might be Muse’s first likelihood to be an NHL head coach. He has spent 5 years within the league as an assistant, first with the Predators from 2017-18 to 2019-20, earlier than working beneath Peter Laviolette in Manhattan for the previous two seasons. Within the meantime, he served as the pinnacle coach for the USA Nationwide Workforce Improvement Program and led the Individuals to a gold medal on the 2023 U-18 World Junior Championship.
The event of the Penguins’ younger gamers might be essential over the following few seasons as they give the impression of being to rapidly return to rivalry as Sidney Crosby’s, Kris Letang’s, and Evgeni Malkin’s careers wind down. That top-down ideology from basic supervisor Kyle Dubas is extraordinarily obvious with the rent of Muse, who has gained a number of accolades on the junior degree, together with a USHL championship as head coach of the Chicago Metal in 2017, earlier than touchdown the AC job with Nashville.
Right here’s Dubas’ full assertion on Muse’s appointment:
“Throughout this course of, we met with many candidates who we felt would have been a match as the following head coach of the Penguins, however finally, Dan Muse stood out as the only option. What separated Dan was his capacity to develop gamers, win in any respect ranges the place he has been a head coach and his constant success teaching particular groups within the NHL. From his success in growing school and junior gamers, to his impactful work with veteran gamers throughout his time within the NHL, Dan has proven a confirmed capacity to attach with gamers in any respect phases of their careers and assist them to succeed in their potential. Moreover, his management of particular groups items on the NHL degree in each Nashville and New York produced elite outcomes constantly. His general physique of labor, consideration to element and imaginative and prescient for our group confirmed us that he’s the perfect coach to take our staff ahead. We’re excited to welcome Dan, and his household, to town of Pittsburgh.”
As for the Rangers, they’ll have to proceed their teaching overhaul beneath new bench boss Mike Sullivan, who succeeds Muse in Pittsburgh. They’ll have a wholly new bench workers subsequent season after firing affiliate coach Phil Housley and shedding assistant coach Michael Peca to Jeff Blashill’s workers with the Blackhawks.
