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Rangers Hire David Quinn, Joe Sacco As Assistant Coaches

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4:19 p.m.: The Rangers have officially announced their new hires, according to a team statement.

8:38 a.m.: The Rangers are nearing a deal to bring David Quinn back to the organization as an assistant coach under new bench boss Mike Sullivan, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. They’re also expected to add former Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco to Sullivan’s staff after Boston declined to remove his interim tag and hired Marco Sturm today instead. Sullivan’s third and final assistant will be Ty Hennes, who had been on Sullivan’s staff with the Penguins for the last few years, Friedman adds.

Quinn, whose first NHL head coaching job was in New York from 2018 to 2021, spent last year as an assistant under Sullivan in Pittsburgh as well. He also worked with Sullivan as an assistant for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

It’s exceedingly rare to see a coach return to a team so quickly after he’d been let go, especially in a reduced capacity, but he’ll take the chance to continue working with Sullivan after coming up short in a couple of head coaching searches. The Kraken and Penguins both reportedly interviewed Quinn for their vacancies this offseason.

Quinn will presumably work with a Rangers power play that had its fair share of struggles this year. After clicking at 26.4% in their Presidents’ Trophy-winning 2023-24 season, their man-advantage units converted at just a 17.6% rate this year, fifth-worst in the league.

Sacco heads to MSG after an 11-year run in Boston that began as an assistant in the 2014-15 season. The Massachusetts native survived two head coaching changes before getting a chance himself as the interim for most of this year following Jim Montgomery’s firing in November. He coached the Bruins to a 25-30-7 record, undoubtedly dragged down by a 5-11-2 post-deadline stretch after trading away captain Brad Marchand and top-four defenseman Brandon Carlo.

The 56-year-old’s previous NHL stops include a four-year run as head coach of the Avalanche from 2009-10 to 2012-13 and one year with the Sabres as an assistant in 2013-14. He also coached the United States to a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championship.

Hennes, the tertiary assistant, is by far the least experienced among the group. The 45-year-old has only ever worked in Pittsburgh at the NHL level, only working on the bench since November 2022. Before that, he worked with the Pens for four years as a skating skills coach.

Examining The Penguins’ Options For Erik Karlsson

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Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff speculated on a potential Pittsburgh Penguins trade for defenseman Erik Karlsson. The hypothetical trade involved the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was all speculation and fodder, but it made for an interesting conversation about a player who will likely find a new team this summer. Karlsson has two years remaining on his contract with an AAV of $10MM, and at 34 years of age, he will not be easy to move despite being a three-time Norris Trophy winner. Karlsson’s best years are behind him, but he remains a gifted skater and playmaker who struggles on the defensive side of the game. Given Karlsson’s unique skillset, it’s fair to wonder what the Penguins’ options are for him if they do indeed plan to move him.

Seravalli’s conversation led to him discussing a one-for-one trade between Toronto and Pittsburgh that would see Karlsson and Morgan Rielly swap teams. Now, a trade like that is highly unlikely to happen, given that Reilly has a no-move clause and isn’t likely to go to a team in Pittsburgh’s position. Also, from Pittsburgh’s perspective, they probably wouldn’t have an interest in Reilly despite general manager Kyle Dubas’ previous ties to Toronto.

All of that to say, is there a realistic one-for-one trade out there for the Pittsburgh Penguins to move Erik Karlsson? The answer is probably no; although it’s not impossible, it’s hard to find an option around the league in which Pittsburgh could flip Karlsson for a single piece and to be perfectly honest, the Penguins likely don’t want to do that. Any Karlsson trade that involves roster pieces will likely mean that overpaid veterans are coming back to Pittsburgh as part of the deal, along with futures, or the Penguins are swallowing a significant chunk of Karlsson’s cap hit and receiving back a good young roster player and maybe one or two extra pieces. A trade like that could look similar to the Seth Jones trade to Florida. So, what would some potential trades look like?

A good framework for the first option would be with the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit has several undesirable contracts on its books and could put together a package that mirrors the one the Penguins used to acquire Karlsson in the first place (albeit one of lesser quality). Detroit would probably love to move on from Justin Holl and perhaps Vladimir Tarasenko, and would free up roughly $8.15MM by doing so. If they were included in the swap, the Penguins would only need to eat those deals for one year and could clear Karlsson’s entire cap hit. Now, in a trade like that, the Penguins would likely need to be rewarded with additional assets, but it’s not an impossible framework for the two sides to work under.

Using the retained salary framework, Pittsburgh could keep in the range of $3MM on Karlsson’s AAV, which would get him down to $7MM in each of the final two years of his contract. That number is much more appealing and could likely yield the Penguins a couple of future assets, possibly even a young roster player. If the Penguins went closer to a 50% retention, they could cash in, but they probably don’t want to do that, given that they reportedly view the summer of 2026 as their time to make moves to contend (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic).

So, what could the Penguins fetch with Karlsson at $7MM? Again, using Detroit as a framework, as well as the recent Seth Jones trade, Pittsburgh could likely acquire a young roster player and a draft pick that would likely be a second or third-round pick. Penguins fans might jump at the idea of obtaining a forward like Marco Kasper in the trade, but that seems lofty for Karlsson, and Detroit would likely scoff at the notion. The 15th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, could be an option, but he would probably be the only piece coming back to Pittsburgh in a trade like that.

The last option for the Penguins, and the one that Seravalli is hinting at, is a good old-fashioned hockey trade that isn’t a one-for-one. The complicated nature of Karlsson’s contract, mixed with his age and unique skillset, makes him hard to trade under any circumstances, particularly in a hockey trade. But nothing is impossible, and Dubas is about as creative as they come and has targeted young players who haven’t lived up to their perceived potential. Enter the Carolina Hurricanes and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

Now, I won’t be the first person to float the idea of a Kotkaniemi to Pittsburgh trade for Karlsson, as Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now did so in March. The idea seemed unlikely at the time, but given the new ecosystem teams are in with the cap going up, it’s not a crazy idea. Carolina might lose Brent Burns in free agency, and has had a hard time keeping offensive players in Carolina for various reasons. Perhaps Karlsson could help ignite the offense and could play a more structured game in Carolina’s disciplined system.

On the flip side, the Penguins could roll the dice on Kotkaniemi, who is just 24 but is significantly overpaid at $4.82MM annually. Kotkaniemi has five years left on his deal and could use a fresh start in a new system. He might get one after he was a healthy scratch in the playoffs and took a disastrous penalty in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Florida. Kotkaniemi likely has more to give and could perhaps be given more of an offensive role on a Penguins team that simply doesn’t have the same depth as the Hurricanes.

In that scenario, both teams would be taking a massive gamble, but it might make sense, given the current state of each team. Pittsburgh gets to take a chance on a younger player who has fallen below expectations, and the Hurricanes get a veteran that might be able to add to their offense as they try to get over the hump in the Eastern Conference. Weirder things have happened, but the Penguins have plenty of options for trading Karlsson and given all that has gone on in his two years in Pittsburgh, they probably should move him as they continue to embark on reshaping their roster.

Photo by Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Penguins Name Dan Muse Head Coach

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The Penguins have hired Rangers assistant coach Dan Muse as their next head coach, per a team announcement. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported minutes earlier that the hire was expected to get across the finish line.

Muse is a bit of a surprise hire. He was the most recent name to be reported as a candidate for Pittsburgh’s vacancy, linked just yesterday by Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

Not too long ago, it looked like the finalists for the Pens’ job were Capitals assistant Mitch Love and Kings assistant D.J. Smith. It became apparent that Love was out of the mix and replaced by Muse as a finalist yesterday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relays. Love was labeled a name on which Pittsburgh was relatively high from the beginning, but the Penguins will instead opt to poach a different assistant coach in their early 40s from a Metropolitan Division rival in Muse.

This will be Muse’s first chance to be an NHL head coach. He’s spent five years in the league as an assistant, first with the Predators from 2017-18 to 2019-20 before working under Peter Laviolette in Manhattan for the past two seasons. In the interim, he was a head coach for the United States National Team Development Program and coached the Americans to a gold medal at the 2023 U-18 World Junior Championship.

The development of the Penguins’ young players will be crucial over the next few seasons as they look to quickly return to contention as Sidney Crosby’s, Kris Letang’s, and Evgeni Malkin’s careers wind down. That top-down ideology from general manager Kyle Dubas is extremely apparent with the hire of Muse, who’s won multiple accolades at the junior level – including a USHL championship as head coach of the Chicago Steel in 2017 before landing the AC job with Nashville.

Here’s Dubas’ full statement on Muse’s appointment:

During this process, we met with many candidates who we felt would have been a fit as the next head coach of the Penguins, but ultimately, Dan Muse stood out as the best choice. What separated Dan was his ability to develop players, win at all levels where he has been a head coach and his consistent success coaching special teams in the NHL. From his success in developing college and junior players, to his impactful work with veteran players during his time in the NHL, Dan has shown a proven ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential. Additionally, his leadership of special teams units at the NHL level in both Nashville and New York produced elite results consistently. His overall body of work, attention to detail and vision for our group showed us that he is the best coach to take our team forward. We’re excited to welcome Dan, and his family, to the city of Pittsburgh.

As for the Rangers, they’ll need to continue their coaching overhaul under new bench boss Mike Sullivan, whom Muse succeeds in Pittsburgh. They’ll have an entirely new bench staff next season after firing associate coach Phil Housley and losing assistant coach Michael Peca to Jeff Blashill’s staff with the Blackhawks.

Dan Muse A Candidate For Penguins Head Coach

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  • Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that New York Rangers assistant coach Dan Muse remains a candidate for the Pittsburgh Penguins head coaching vacancy. Muse has no head coaching experience at the NHL level, but has served as the Rangers assistant coach for two years, and served in the same role with the Nashville Predators from 2017 to 2020. There’s no update on whether Muse will remain with the Rangers should he not be offered the job with Pittsburgh.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Penguins Sign Mikhail Ilyin To Entry-Level Contract

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The Penguins have reached an agreement with one of their prospects, announcing on Saturday that they signed Mikhail Ilyin to a three-year, entry-level contract.  PuckPedia reports that the agreement will carry a cap hit of $851,667.

The 20-year-old winger was a fifth-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2023, being selected 142nd overall.  At the time, he had primarily played at Russia’s MHL level but in 2023-24, that changed as he put up 12 goals and 17 assists in 64 games with KHL Severstal Cherepovets with his only MHL playing time coming in the playoffs.

This year, it was more of the same.  Ilyin played in 65 games with Severstal and while his goal total dipped to seven, he improved in the assist department as he collected 23 of those.  He played just twice in the MHL, notching four helpers.

It would be surprising if Ilyin was in the plans to play regularly in Pittsburgh in 2025-26.  It’s not often that Russian players play regularly in the AHL either at this stage of their career so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ilyin loaned back to Cherepovets for next season.

Penguins Receiving Interest In Bryan Rust

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With there being plenty of speculation about the Penguins trying to make their roster younger for the upcoming season, a veteran winger is being eyed by other teams.  Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that teams are calling to gauge the potential availability of veteran winger Bryan Rust.

The 33-year-old is coming of a career year after putting up 31 goals and 34 assists this season despite missing 11 games due to injuries and illness.  That came on the heels of him matching his previous career best in points the year before when he only played in 62 games.  Suffice it to say, Rust has gone from being more of a role player at the beginning of his career to a trusted top-six option in recent seasons, making it very understandable that he’s attracting interest.

While his recent performance is certainly fueling that, so too is his contract.  Rust has three years left on his current contract with a $5.125MM cap hit.  In a cap environment that’s going to see the Upper Limit increase considerably over the next several years, inflating salaries along the way, his deal increasingly becomes more of a bargain.

A long-time linemate of Sidney Crosby, it’s likely that GM Kyle Dubas would prefer to keep Rust in the fold.  While there’s a stated desire to get younger, there doesn’t seem to be any indication that they’re looking to go into more of a full rebuild, meaning that their top veterans aren’t likely to be made available.

It’s also worth noting that Rust currently has a no-move clause for a few more weeks although that protection lapses on July 1st.  Accordingly, if a move were to be made with Dubas receiving an offer that was simply too good to refuse, it might have to wait until the start of the new league year for it to be made official.  And if the free agent market proves to be as lucrative as many expect, Rust’s trade value and Dubas’ asking price will only be going up from there.

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins Coaching, Roest, Kuokkanen

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The Pittsburgh Penguins’ coaching search continues to headline news out of the Metropolitan Division, as the squad seeks out their first change at head coach in the last decade. Their final rounds of interviews have led to two candidates emerging above the rest – Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love, and former Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

Love has been behind the Capitals’ bench for the last two seasons, after spending the two years prior serving as the head coach of Calgary’s AHL squad. Love worked in the WHL and Canada’s U17 and U18 squads for the better half of the 2010’s. He supported Team Canada’s Gold Medal wins at the 2016 U17 World Hockey Championship, 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and 2020 World Junior Championship. He also won the AHL’s ’Coach of the Year’ award in both of his two years in the league – 2021-22 and 2022-23. The past two years in Washington have marked Love’s first in the NHL in any capacity, and a move to head coach would mark a quick reward after he supported Pittsburgh’s rival to a second-round exit this season.

Smith sits as an interesting option opposite of Love. He has spent the last season-and-a-half in an assistant or associate coach role with the Los Angeles Kings, who hired him on the same day that he was fired from the Senators’ head coaching role in 2023. Smith posted a combined 131-154-32 record in just over four years with the Senators. He also has six years of experience as an NHL assistant coach, spread between tenures with the Toronto Maple Leafs and L.A. Kings. He’d be a hotly debated addition, though offers a much hardier pro coaching resume than Love.

Other notes from the Metro Division:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have parted ways with assistant general manager and AHL general manager Stacy Roest, per Ashley Wenskoski of CNY Central. Roest was a colleague of freshly-hired New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche during their shared time in Tampa Bay, and could be a candidate to join their front office. Roest has been with the Tampa Bay organization since the 2013-14 season, when he joined on as a Director of Player Development and AHL assistant coach. He was promoted to AHL GM in the 2019-20 season. Roest also played in 244 career games in the NHL, split between tenures with the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild. He ended his career with nine years in Switzerland’s National League, which allowed him to support Team Canada at six separate Spengler Cups.
  • Former Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils centerman Janne Kuokkanen has extended his tenure overseas. He has signed a four-year contract with the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks. Kuokkanen played one season with Malmo in 2023-24 – scoring 44 points in 43 games – but opted to move to the National League for this season. He’ll reverse that decision one season later, after netting just 25 points in 35 games with Lausanne HC. Kuokkanen was a second-round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft and played in 119 NHL games split between the Hurricanes and Devils. He scored 14 goals and 42 points in those appearances.

Multiple Teams Showing Interest In Marco Rossi

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The Blackhawks, Kraken, Flyers, Penguins, and Sabres are among the teams that have shown interest in acquiring Wild pending restricted free agent center Marco Rossi, according to RG’s James Murphy. While general manager Bill Guerin has refuted trade speculation surrounding the 2020 ninth overall pick in the past, there hasn’t been much noise around progress in contract talks so far this offseason, especially after he had his minutes slashed in the playoffs by head coach John Hynes.

For a team considering parting ways with a young player, it’s never a good sign when virtually every club with a need at the position with the assets to make an appealing trade work steps up to the plate. Minnesota’s deployment of Rossi, particularly this season, has been puzzling. The Austrian pivot finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting in 2023-24 and took strides in 2024-25 to prove his floor as a second-line center, notching a 24-36–60 scoring line in all 82 games despite missing star wingman Kirill Kaprizov for most of the campaign. He averaged north of 18 minutes per game in the regular season but played just 11 minutes per night in the playoffs, although that didn’t stop him from still contributing a pair of goals and an assist in the Wild’s first-round elimination at the hands of the Golden Knights.

With Rossi posting those point totals on a bottom-10 offensive team, it’s easy to see why many clubs are optimistic about his ability to slot into their top-six immediately and, at worst, replicate his performance from last year. From Minnesota’s standpoint, assuming their internal projection of him is as pessimistic as his late-season role reduction indicates, it makes sense they wouldn’t want to commit to a long-term deal that will likely cost north of $7MM per season. For Rossi, it makes little sense for him to sign a bridge deal in Minnesota if he feels he won’t get the minutes there to maximize his earning potential a few years down the line.

If the Wild can’t work out a trade for Rossi, an offer sheet threat looms. A long-term deal for Rossi will likely end up at seven years at around $7.4MM per season, AFP Analytics projects. That would require a team to surrender their 2026 first, second, and third-round pick as compensation if the Wild decline to match. As such, they’ll likely set their price around there in trade talks, at least in terms of comparable value. Considering their increased salary cap flexibility this summer and intact core, it makes sense they’d rather pursue trade options to land a more NHL-ready asset in place of a return largely centered around draft picks.

Of the five teams mentioned by Murphy as having interest in Rossi, all but the Sabres have the picks to acquire Rossi in the $7.02MM to $9.36MM range for an offer sheet. Buffalo would need to reacquire their 2026 second-rounder to do so. They sent it to the Senators in this year’s Dylan Cozens/Joshua Norris swap.

Some Expect Karlsson To Be In Trade Talks This Summer

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With a free agent market that isn’t particularly deep for right-shot defensemen, league sources tell Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli that there’s an expectation that Penguins blueliner Erik Karlsson could be in play this summer.  The soon-to-be-35-year-old has put up 109 points in his two seasons with Pittsburgh, well above average although far below the 101 he tallied in his final year with San Jose.  Meanwhile, his defensive game has continued to be inconsistent which could have GM Kyle Dubas looking to move him to shake up his team.  Karlsson has two years left on his contract at $10MM per season (with the Sharks contributing $1.5MM more as part of the trade two summers ago) and the Penguins would undoubtedly need to pay that down to find a suitable trade for his services.

Should Koppanen Leave As Unrestricted Free Agent?

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  • Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggests that pending UFA winger Joona Koppanen would be wise to move on in free agency this summer in a move that could work well for him and the Penguins. The 27-year-old played in 11 games with Pittsburgh this season, scoring once while adding 23 points in 56 AHL contests with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  While Koppanen can kill penalties, Kyle Dubas tends to prefer a lot of depth which could put him further down the depth chart if he were to re-sign compared to some other teams where a path to a recall could be easier to reach.

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