Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas offered a candid take on the process behind hiring Dan Muse as the team’s new head coach this summer.
In an appearance on the Cam and Strick Podcast published on August 11, Dubas opened up about why he felt comfortable hiring Muse to take over the bench boss role following Mike Sullivan’s departure.
During the conversation, Dubas had this to say about Muse:
“To me, the key thing was somebody that could instill all of that with the players here, but also on intake of our young prospects and young players we acquire and get them up to speed with it quickly and be able to help the transition.”
The comments underscore the team’s desire to lay the groundwork for a post-Sullivan era in Pittsburgh. The idea is not to tear everything down. Rather, the goal is to take the positives from Sullivan’s tenure and build on them as the club moves forward.
Dubas added:
“Also, someone that can come out on the other side because one of the narratives quite often is, when a coach goes into a rebuild, they tend not to be the coach that comes out of it. For me, it was looking for the person that could really hammer on the development side of it, and the detail side, and the work ethic, and match the same sort of mindset that we had on that.”
The remarks highlight how Dubas envisions Muse as a long-term fixture in Pittsburgh. Instead of viewing him as a placeholder, Dubas believes in Muse’s ability to lead the Penguins out of the rebuild and into an era where the team is successful.
Check out Dubas’ comments from the 2:20:00 mark onwards:
Dubas uses R-word when referring to the Penguins' current direction
One of the issues surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins has been their desire to avoid using the R-word: rebuild.
According to the rumor mill, the team’s ownership, The Fenway Group, has been reluctant to admit the Penguins are going through a rebuild. In particular, the feeling is that the team should compete as long as Sidney Crosby is on the roster.
However, Evgeni Malkin’s final season has precipitated the talk of a rebuild. Moreover, the not-too-discreet shopping of Erik Karlsson this summer has also fueled speculation that the Penguins are raising the white flag in 2025-26.
As such, Dubas’ use of the word “rebuild” in reference to hiring Dan Muse leaves no room to doubt that’s the direction the Penguins are going. Whether it will be a fast rebuild like with the St. Louis Blues or the Montreal Canadiens remains to be seen.
The worst fear for Penguins fans is that the club enters a full-on rebuild like the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and San Jose Sharks have embraced. Each club has had varying degrees of success, but continues to be far from contention.
The Penguins have solid veteran pieces that could propel the club to a better-than-expected season. But it’s tough to envision the Penguins being anything more than a rebuilding club at this point.