PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – How is it the Pens are back in the playoffs? A look at what went right from the front office, coaching and first-time team MVP.
One of the questions to Sidney Crosby, as he passed out season tickets to a fan in Sewickley before camp started on September 15, was about the low expectations. He acknowledged it, not that he believed in it, but knew what was out there.
There were no expectations. If there was talk about the season it was more about where they would draft in 2026. Or even discussions whether the team should consider tanking to get a shot at landing Penn State phenom Gavin McKenna.
What happened?
Shrewd moves
Hard to think of an NHL general manager who had a better year than the Penguins Kyle Dubas. He admitted they needed to build back coming off the 2024-25 season. He did it faster than anyone anticipated without busting the bank for free agents. He got these players for cheap
- F Justin Brazeau (2-years, $3 million)—17 goals and 17 assists including the game-winning goals in each of the first two games
- F Anthony Mantha (1 year, $2.5 million)—returned from injury to post a career-high 31 goals and 30 assists
- D-Parker Wotherspoon (1 year, $2 million)—settled into a pairing with team MVP Erik Karlsson playing every game and finished with 27 assists (three times higher than previous career-high) and a plus 18
- C-Connor Dewar (1 year, $1.1 million)—bottom 6 forward had a career-high 14 goals and 16 assists
TOTAL—that’s 65 goals and 90 assists for $7.1 million
If only it was about his free agents, on December 12, Dubas did the unthinkable, he was able to trade goalie Tristan Jarry and his contract.
- He sent Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to Edmonton and received Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak and a second-round pick in 2029. Skinner will likely be their playoff goalie and Kulak was used in a trade to add defenseman Sam Girard.
- Right before the new year, Danton Heinen and a second and third round pick sent to Columbus for Egor Chinakhov. He has 10 points in the last five games and 18 goals in 41 games with the Penguins.
Dan Muse
Who the hell is Dan Muse? Much of the reaction when he was named the Pens head coach. The last time they went with a coach with no NHL experience, it went horribly wrong with Mike Johnston. Muse is something different. An assistant at Nashville and the Rangers and a USHL head coach, Muse has been spectacular.
He brought accountability to the Pens game. Gone were the neutral zone turnovers and in its place was a system that gave players some freedom, but a structure as a foundation to the team’s play. Even in his first season, Muse stayed the same person whether it was during the eight-game losing streak or a blowout win at Colorado.
Team MVP Erik Karlsson
Come on now, this might be as unexpected as anything we’ve seen this season. Karlsson just seemed miserable and out-of-place under previous head coach Mike Sullivan. This looks like the player the Pens hoped would get them back to the Stanley Cup playoffs three years ago. Karlsson has been the consistent force this season with a team-high 51 assists to go with 15 goals. In one season went from a minus 24 to a plus 10.
Stanley Cup heroes
Three of the top five scorers on the Pens have combined to win eight Stanley Cups. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each averaged over a point per game, for Crosby for the NHL record-setting 20th straight season, for Malkin for the 16th time in his career. Forward Bryan Rust is a tally from a second straight 30-goal season. They are a steading force for this team.
Offense
The Pens went from a frustrating team offensively, especially on the power play, to currently the second-highest scoring team in the Eastern Conference. Along with the individual performances, Muse got the team to believe in traffic in front of the net, from 18-year-old, 182-pound Ben Kindle to everyone. A mindset of traffic bothering the opposing goaltender. While the numbers would tell you the power play was about the same, it wasn’t. It was much more of a difference-maker and less of a short-handed goal concern in 2025-26.
The Pens had the third-worst odds to make the postseason at the beginning of the year. Look at them now.
A look at the season and what led to a return to Stanley Cup hockey
A look at the season and what led to a return to Stanley Cup hockey
