The Great Unknown: Can Dan Muse Guide Penguins Through Difficult Transition?
Dan Muse represents the start of a new era in Pittsburgh, and after stability over the last decade, there's immense pressure to guide the team through a rebuild.
For the last decade, Mike Sullivan has been the leader of the Pittsburgh Penguins, guiding the team to two Stanley Cups as they established themselves as one of the most consistent organizations in the National Hockey League.
Now, the team turn to Dan Muse as they look to navigate a rebuild while still having those franchise stars that led them to success, and with all of those unknowns, it makes this a very tough situation for Muse.
After Sullivan's Decade of Stability, Pittsburgh Faces Change
That was one of the biggest things addressed by Josh Yohe in his latest for The Athletic, as he looks back on the decade of stability and the questions hanging over Muse's head and the entire organization as they look to usher in a new era under a new coach.
"The Penguins, historically speaking, change coaches about as frequently as the weather changes in March. Then came Sullivan and, for a decade, there was stability. Now, we enter the great unknown. Muse is well-liked and respected around the hockey world, but his specialty is dealing with young players. This is great. But the Penguins still have a bunch of old guys on this roster. How will Muse make it all work? It's among the biggest questions entering the season."
Muse's Youthful Approach Meets a Veteran-Heavy Penguins Roster
Given his age, it makes sense that Muse would be the perfect coach to lead this rebuild, but with so many veterans still on this team before the Penguins can bring in the youth and the future, it makes things tricky for the rookie Head Coach.
Ultimately, the organization were clear with Muse what this situation was when he came in, so he has a clear goal as he takes over as coach in Pittsburgh, but following the stability and the expectations that fans have built up in the past decade, this isn't going to be an easy path for him to navigate.
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