Members of the organization have applauded how well Dan Muse in the early going has coached each individual differently. If a new coach wanted to come in and push the core really hard, the last time to do that was probably bringing in a new coach say 2022 or 2023. Muse has treated the best players like stars, even likes of Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, but he’s toed-the-line very well of them embracing being coached, hence, he made a good impression from the start. Everyone to this point seems to be buying in and it’s been a really smooth transition. Concerns of Muse trying to come in and just swamp the group with Ipad/video session after video session and make this like a junior team has not played out.

TIOPS Plus +What’s Next for Penguins? No one and I mean no one around the league is buying stock into the Penguins 4-2 start but on the ice the Penguins can be applauded for shoring up some system issues in defending away from the puck that crushed them the last couple seasons, while still pushing offense in creating chances inside 35 ft.

Trying to win games like the season opener just isn’t possible with the personnel they have defensively. They’ve found a nice mix so far.

The Penguins possession #’s are at 47% in shot attempts percentage. However, Pittsburgh is excelling at creating high danger chances and enter tonight’s game vs Vancouver 5th in the NHL with a 57 HDCF%.

Washington (66 HDCF%), Carolina (63 HDCF%), New York Rangers (61 HDCF%) and Colorado Avalanche (60 HDCF%). Three of those four teams are legitimate Stanley Cup Contenders

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A huge part of the Penguins coming out of the West Coast Trip winning two of three was their Top-2 line players cooking. One Penguins source joked the draft pick assassin Kyle Dubas is salivating at the draft picks he’s going to get for the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha at the deadline if this keeps up.

Malkin with a team-leading 9 points, is among the older guard who is just playing freely with a nothing to lose attitude.

Teams around the league believe Malkin can still give a contender a jolt in short spurts if you put a goal scorer on his line and someone willing to do the dirty work. If he can maintain a 60-point level of play this season, it’s not crazy a top contender who doesn’t care about picks is willing to include a To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! The Olympic break where Russia’s not participating can further increase his value at his age in being fresh in the stretch run, NHL execs contend.

The Florida Panthers – Malkin rumors are going to be around all year. His wife still lives in the area during the Winter, there’s going to be an obvious connection where To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Others are also worth watching in To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Nostalgia Chatter: If the Penguins continue to overachieve over the next couple months one storyline to watch will be Kris Letang. Even the biggest Letang supporters in that building wonder how things are going to play out where team sources say the coaching staff feels he is trending towards being To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Trade Buzz: Philip Tomasino has, as expected, been the tweener in the lineup where he’s coming in and out through six games. With Rutger McGroarty just a few weeks out, Filip Hallander starting to establish himself a bit and a belief Kevin Hayes will get a short run in the lineup when ready to return, the clock is ticking on Tomasino where we’re seeing a second coaching staff not being as high on Tomasino as the front office is. A true wildcard on the roster continues to be how long of a run Tommy Novak gets. There’s no question the front office was high on him at the time of the trade, and he’s only had under 10 games in a Penguins uniform but there’s yet to be another level for Novak. Even if the Penguins stay competitive for a while, the likes To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Where things get interesting is trade interest in Novak around the league where Minnesota To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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