Dan Muse, Penguins Agree to Contract as New HC Ahead of 2025 NHL Draft, Free Agency

Former New York Rangers assistant coach Dan Muse will guide the Pittsburgh Penguins through what could be the franchise's final season with Evgeni Malkin.

Muse will replace former head coach Mike Sullivan ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Penguins announced Wednesday.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement that Muse stood out for "his ability to develop players, win at all levels where he has been a head coach and his consistent success coaching special teams in the NHL."

Muse worked on Peter Laviolette's staff as an assistant focused on the penalty kill with the Rangers from 2023-25 and Nashville Predators from 2017-20.

He earned head coaching experience with the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2020-23, leading the Under-18 team to a gold medal at the 2023 World Championship.

Muse also led the USHL's Chicago Steel to a 2017 Clark Cup championship and worked on the Yale coaching staff during the team's run to the 2013 NCAA title.

Dubas said it was "time for change" when announcing the franchise's split from Sullivan on April 28.

“There were times throughout the year where I started to think that it may just be time, for a number of reasons,” Dubas said on April 28, per NHL.com's Wes Crosby. “It’s a lot to ask of somebody when they’ve done such a long, successful job here to be managing that and continuing to transition the team through.”

Sullivan, who spent nine-and-a-half seasons behind the Penguins' bench, was promoted from the franchise's AHL affiliate to replace Mike Johnston in December 2015.

He brought with him multiple top prospects from the farm team, including Jake Guentzel, Matt Murray, Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary, who turned out to be key parts of the Penguins teams that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

Despite frequently selling off draft picks and prospects in an attempt to continue building contending rosters around Sidney Crosby, the Penguins haven't found playoff success since that second championship. The team hasn't been to the second round since 2018 and missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.

Malkin is heading into the 2025-26 season on an expiring contract. Crosby has two years remaining on his deal, and Kris Letang, who is currently recovering from offseason heart surgery, has three.

The Penguins are looking for multiple of their top prospects, including late-season call-ups like Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen along with other AHL standouts like Tristan Broz and Jack St. Ivany, to make a push for the roster in training camp next fall.

Muse will be tasked with both guiding the veterans and developing a host of rookies as the Penguins look to retool into a more competitive team in what could potentially be the franchise's final season with their star trio.