Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Muse has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.
Muse was named one of the three finalists for the award, which is the NHL’s annual “Coach of the Year” award, alongside Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper and Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff.
The Penguins were a surprise success story this past season under Muse, who was a first-year head coach in the NHL, leading the team to the postseason for the first time since 2022 after being predicted by many to be among the bottom teams in the league this past season.
The 41 wins the team amassed under Muse tied for the third-most in franchise history for a coach in his first year with the Penguins.
Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson was among those voicing their support for Muse, saying that he was a big part of the team’s success this past year.
While the Penguins’ exit from the postseason may have been a disappointment, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games, it’s not a reach to say that the Penguins outperformed their expectations this past season and it seems as if the team made a good choice when hiring Muse as the leader of the franchise in the post-Mike Sullivan era.
