Pittsburgh Penguins Hiring Dan Muse Sends a Clear Message

After a long search for their new Head Coach, the Pittsburgh Penguins landed on Dan Muse, former New York Rangers assistant as the man to replace Mike Sullivan, who just took on the role in New York after a decade in charge.

For many, it was an odd hire, as Muse wasn't on the radar as a Head Coach candidate for the Penguins, but now, the 42-year old has a chance to prove himself after 20 years of coaching from the NCAA to the USHL to the USNTDP all the way up to the NHL.

Unfortunately for captain Sidney Crosby, the hiring of Muse sends a clear message to the team, and that is that Kyle Dubas has his eyes on the future, as Muse will be used to develop the young core of this team and lead them to success in the future.

That may end up alienating Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson among others on the roster, but with the emergence of Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen and Joel Blomqvist a year ago, this move is a direct message from the GM that this is now a team headed toward a rebuild.

When making a statement on Muse, Kyle Dubas noted that his development of young players was key to this hiring, but also revealed that he's handled veterans at the NHL level well, so while the team may still be looking to win, it's safe to say that the team took the future into account with this hiring.

It's more likely than not that Dubas' moves over the summer will re-affirm that position on the team, and if Muse can lead them into a long, successful future, this will have been a fantastic hire for Pittsburgh.