The coaching connections between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins were a major offseason storyline that came to a head on opening night at Madison Square Garden. That narrative has only deepened as the season reached its conclusion, with Mike Sullivan missing the postseason while his former assistant, Dan Muse, led the Penguins back into the dance.
Muse, who served as a key assistant for the Rangers' Presidents' Trophy winning squad, saw his debut playoff run end in heartbreak on Wednesday. His Penguins fell 1-0 in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers, officially ending their season in six games. While Pittsburgh managed to stave off elimination twice after falling into a 3-0 series hole, the mountain was simply too high to climb. Despite the exit, Muse deserves immense credit for what he accomplished in just one year.
Muse thrived where Sullivan floundered
Taking over a veteran roster that had stagnated under Sullivan, Muse utilized savvy additions like Anthony Mantha and Egor Chinakhov along with an established core to guide the Penguins to 41 wins and a second-place finish in the Metropolitan Division. While the first-round exit is a disappointment, the fight the Penguins showed in rallying back to the brink of a Game 7 proves that Muse has quickly established his own standard in Pittsburgh.
As the Rangers prepare for a pivotal offseason of their own, seeing their former assistant find immediate success, and playoff heartbreak, serves as a reminder of the coaching pedigree that has passed through the organization lately. Muse isn't the only example as Kris Knoblauch has similarly defied expectations with the Edmonton Oilers.
Knoblauch and the Oilers will attempt to force a Game 7 of their own when they face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, continuing a journey that saw them fall just short in the Stanley Cup Final in back to back seasons. Sullivan remains a premier coach, but the immediate success of men like Muse and Knoblauch suggests that the Rangers may have underestimated the talent on their own organization in years past.
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