4 Storylines To Watch During Dan Muse's Second Season Behind Bench

If there's one thing that Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach Dan Muse proved last season, it's that being a rookie head coach comes with its ups and downs, but the best coaches are able to endure.

After leading a team projected by most to be in lottery contention all the way to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, Muse was rewarded for his efforts by being named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for the league's top head coach. Even if he didn't take home the hardware, it's not very often that rookie bench bosses are bestowed this honor, which speaks to how great a first season Muse had.

The Penguins ended the season as the NHL's second-highest scoring team. He and the rest of the staff brought together a squad of players in many different career stages with different tiers of experience and skill, and he was able to get the most out of all of them. 

So, after a relvatively successful first season, what should folks expect out of Muse in his second season as Penguins' head coach? Here are four storylines to watch in 2026-27.

For most of the 2025-26 season, the Penguins were the only NHL team with both a top-five power play and top-five penalty kill. Both units fell off ever-so-slightly near the end, with the power play finishing seventh at 24.1 percent and the penalty kill finishing sixth at 81.4 percent. 

Of course, Muse can't be credited entirely for the success of both units, as Todd Nelson was the power play coach and Mike Stothers and Nick Bonino largely ran the PK. But, as has been stated several times over by Muse himself and by the entire coaching staff, they all work as a collective unit, even if certain areas of focus are delegated. Muse and the others were able to get the buy-in from both units, and even players who don't traditionally kill penalties such as Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson were used pretty heavily in those roles. 

The Penguins were a high-scoring five-on-five team last season, and they were a below-average defensive team five-on-five. Their special teams were a primary reason they were able to make the playoffs.

If their special teams remain first-class in the league, they should remain playoff contenders - and that will require the same level of buy-in from the players as last season, even as Muse and company have plenty of new faces on both the forward front and the blue line.

It goes without saying that the Penguins' young guns are not simply going to be handed roster spots. In fact, as reiterated by GM and POHO Kyle Dubas after signing forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year contract extension, every young player is going to have to earn their spot, regardless of what their contract looks like.

But, if last season is any indication, opportunities will be given by Muse and the staff if earned.

A young 18-year-old at the time, center Ben Kindel made the team out of training camp last season, as did 19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke. With each passing game - and, even more impressive, every passing game at the center position - Kindel kept proving why he should stick around. He got better and better throughout his nine-game trial run, and even if it was a very unexpected development, Kindel earned his stay past the 10 games and was the team's regular third-line center the rest of the season - a sign of Muse's trust in Kindel.

Brunicke, meanwhile, didn't show as much and displayed signs of struggle early on in the season, so Muse and the staff adapted, and the blueliner was eventually sent back to junior hockey in the second half after the NHL stint, an AHL conditioning stint, and the World Junior Championship. They made the most of Brunicke's time at the NHL level last season, though, and he came back to the AHL playoffs looking like a much better player. 

If guys like Koivunen, Brunicke, Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz, or Owen Pickering earn their opportunities, there's no reason to think Muse won't reward them - even if there is a logjam of both forwards and defensemen who are, presumably, slated to be on the NHL roster at the start of the season. 

The Penguins need to push younger. Muse knows this, and his strength in development is one of the primary reasons he was hired. So, how much runway will he give these players to prove themselves at the NHL level when their opportunity knocks, and how will these guys continue to respond to him?

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Muse and his team next season will be matching up to the rest of the Metropolitan Division.

Of course, no team is the same year-to-year, and that includes the Penguins. On paper, the Penguins appear to have marginally more talent on their roster, so theoretically, they should improve. Their young goaltending tandem might be the biggest x-factor there.

But other teams also improved, and some more drastically. The Carolina Hurricanes are the class of the division and the defending champs for a reason. The Washington Capitals went out and had themselves an offseason, adding Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou, and Boone Jenner to their already-formidable forward group. The New York Islanders got Matias Maccelli. The New York Rangers snagged sniper Pavel Dorofeyev, forward Oliver Bjorkstrand, and defenseman Marcus Pettersson. 

Washington and Carolina look like the frontrunners. Others put themselves in the mix with Pittsburgh. So, can Muse work some magic and get the most out of this year's squad, same as he did last season?

Can Declan Carlile or Kaedan Korczak be the next Parker Wotherspoon? Can Andrei Kuzmenko get to Anthony Mantha's level? Can Erik Karlsson have a repeat of last season under this coaching staff again? Can Nicholas Robertson hit another level in Pittsburgh under Muse? Hendrix Lapierre?

Simply put, like last season, Muse will play a big role in helping coin-flip players maximize their potential. If those players can turn out - or, even if most turn out - they should be able to stay within arm's length of the top of the division. 

We'll keep this short and sweet: Last season, Muse challenged nine calls for goaltender interference. Zero ended up going in his favor. 

Was this a rookie head coach phenomenon, an issue with the Penguins' front office, an issue with Muse's judgment, or just a league-wide phenomenon? Muse and the Penguins were disproportionately affected last season, even if goaltender interference is a league-wide concern as far as inconsistency.

Will he get any kind of benefit in 2026-27? Will he be more calculated in his decisions to challenge? Although it literally can't get any worse, seeing how officiating responds to Muse next season in comparison to his first behind the bench will be one of the more interesting storylines to follow.

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