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A look at whether Dan Muse’s bold Penguins promise is paying off
Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Dan Muse pushed “maximize each person” and the Pittsburgh Penguins are riding it hard, sitting second in the Metro with real bite.
That line from his June intro was not fluff, it was the whole job.
Right now the proof is in the margins. The Penguins are plus-23, fourth on the power play, and third on the penalty kill.
That is structure, not vibes.
It also screams teaching, because special teams do not climb by accident.
Evgeni Malkin looks like he has his legs back, even with only 41 games played. He’s at 13 goals and plus-13 after last season’s ugly swing.
Erik Karlsson has gone from minus-24 last year to plus-6, and the Parker Wotherspoon pairing has finally made sense.
Dan Muse and Pittsburgh Penguins are getting more
I can feel the fanbase trying not to jinx it, because we’ve seen hot stretches before, but this one looks repeatable.
Ben Kindel is the neon sign for “maximize.” He’s 18, drafted 11th overall in 2025 by Pittsburgh, and he’s already holding NHL minutes.
Then there’s the goalie reset. After Tristan Jarry went to Edmonton, Stuart Skinner landed here and the crease looks calmer night to night.
Muse keeping Andy Chiodo also matters, because continuity between the pipes is rare in-season.
The sneaky part is the “tweeners” popping. Guys like Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau are being used like they belong, not like placeholders.
It’s not perfect, and a couple prospects have stalled, but the hit rate is high for Year 1.
If this holds after the Olympic break, the next milestone is simple, turn second place into home-ice noise.
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