When Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas decided to make the tough offseason decision of moving on from Mike Sullivan, there was uncertainty on who would replace him. The usual candidate names came up like John Tortorella, Lane Lambert, Dan Bylsma (again), etc. But there was one name that came in late that not many fans recognized.
That guy's name is Dan Muse, and he was the choice for Dubas as Dubas did a long extensive head coaching search. Dubas did his due diligence on a lot of candidates out there and did interviews at the end of the year and during the Four Nations Face Off.
The name that most fans wanted that is actually on the Muse's coaching staff but as an assistant, is Todd Nelson. Nelson had been coaching the Washington Capitals AHL affiliate the Hershey Bears as of late. But overall Dubas settled on Muse as the right candidate to lead the Penguins as Sullivan's successor.
And it is insanely early as the Penguins have not started their preseason schedule yet, they get that underway Monday evening as they take on the Montreal Canadiens on the road. But for now, it seems like Dubas made the right choice when he hired a new head coach.
At training camp this past week, Muse has been really pushing his team to be physical, to win puck battles, to really pay attention and support the puck. There seems to be a lot more energy as the Penguins have been rotating three teams of players within the roster.
There even have been veterans that have said that Muse's practices are intense, and he really makes the guys work hard and they seem to enjoy that style of play. When the Penguins were still in the Sullivan era, you really did not see a lot of physicality or anything have it be training camp or regular season.
For the second day in a row, Dan Muse doesn't have a voice during his media availability.
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) September 19, 2025
"You see practice the last two days, it’s crazy hard. I like it," Evgeni Malkin said. "We need that. Young guys, veteran guys, we need to work together. I like what I see."
Sullivan liked to preach pinching up and trying to stay in the play rather than physicality and puck support. But with Muse, it just seems really different. There seems to be a different vibe at the rink, and it seems like for now, the Penguins have their guy behind the bench.