Pittsburgh Penguins Stun NHL with Blockbuster Trade—Will Crosby’s New Teammate Bring the Cup Back to Steel City?

The Pittsburgh Penguins have ended their month-long coaching search by naming 42-year-old Dan Muse as the 23rd bench boss in franchise history, President of Hockey Operations/GM Kyle Dubas announced Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena. Penguins fans flooded social platforms within minutes of the news, propelling “Pittsburgh Penguins” and “Dan Muse” to the top of local trending lists, as the club pivots toward a pivotal 2025-26 season. Who is Dan Muse? • Assistant coach, New York Rangers (2023-25) and Nashville Predators (2017-20). • Ran top-five NHL penalty-kill units in both cities. • Head coach, USA Hockey NTDP (2020-23), winning U18 gold in 2023. • Guided Chicago Steel to the 2017 Clark Cup in the USHL. Why Dubas chose him “Dan’s track record of player development and special-teams excellence separated him from an impressive pool of candidates,” Dubas said in the team’s release. The GM stressed Muse’s ability to “connect with veterans like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin while elevating prospects such as Rutger McGroarty.” Impact on the core four • Sidney Crosby enters the final year of his contract chasing a fourth Stanley Cup. • Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, both rehabbing from surgeries, are expected to be ready for camp. • Jake Guentzel negotiations resume July 1; Muse’s offensive philosophy could be a selling point. Special-teams shake-up Muse’s reputation as a PK architect should address Pittsburgh’s 26th-ranked unit last season. Expect assistant coach Todd Reirden to remain in charge of a power play that still features Crosby’s right-circle one-timer. Next deadlines 1. NHL Draft Combine wraps this week in Buffalo, where Penguins scouts finalized their first-round board. 2. Free agency opens July 1 with cap space projected at $10.7 million. 3. Development camp returns to UPMC Lemieux Complex July 6-10, giving Muse a first look at recent draft picks. Bottom line Hiring Dan Muse signals a strategic shift toward analytics-driven systems and youth integration while keeping the Crosby-Malkin window alive. If his special-teams magic translates to Pittsburgh, the Penguins could re-enter Eastern Conference contender status as early as October.