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New Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Muse has a mountainous task ahead of him.

Muse, who was most recently an assistant with the New York Rangers, has to balance the needs of the here and now with the long-term needs of the Penguins. We’re not sure that a veteran coach, let alone a first-timer like Muse, will be up to that challenge.

“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,” Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said in the announcement.

There’s no question Muse has a well-balanced resume. The 42-year-old was an assistant for the 2013 NCAA-champion Yale Bulldogs, and he led Chicago of the USHL to the Clark Cup in 2017 before becoming an NHL assistant, first with the Nashville Predators from 2017 to 2020, then with the Rangers. So he’s acutely aware of the needs of veteran NHL teams, and he’s also cognizant of turning young players into pros. 

The problem with the Penguins is they’re buried in the mushy middle of the NHL, not good enough to be a playoff team and not bad enough to land elite players through the draft.

They’ve got an aged core that includes stars Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson, and they’ve got young players on the way who are intent on cracking the NHL lineup next fall, such as Rutger McGroarty. To say they’re selling a mixed message to their fan base is a serious understatement.

The Penguins could use more change this off-season, with goaltending being arguably a priority.

Another question mark is the status of Karlsson, who hasn’t worked out to expectations since he arrived in Pittsburgh in 2023. Karlsson has a full no-movement clause in the remaining two years of his expensive contract, but at 35 years old, he came to the Pens intent on competing for a Stanley Cup, and barring some miraculous turnabout, that isn’t going to happen. So if Dubas can find a home for Karlsson somewhere else, he’d be a fool not to move him.

That brings the conversation back to Muse. By the time the 2025-26 season arrives, the Penguins’ lineup could look different than it looks right now. But Crosby, Malkin and Letang – all of who have their own no-movement clauses – are still likely to be with the Pens next fall. 

So what is Muse being asked to do here – win for the stars who only have a couple of seasons left in their careers, or take his lumps in the standings and try to build a new culture of winning for a new generation of players? 

To be sure, there’s no uniform philosophy for the lineup, and that could prove to be a significant problem. It doesn’t matter who is behind Pittsburgh’s bench – the Pens are going to have a very tough go of it.

The Penguins are strung between two competitive poles, and Muse has to find a balance between competing right away and being a consistent winner in the long haul. His job could shepherd the Pens into a new golden generation – or it could result in more of the same disappointment.

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The Chicago Blackhawks hired Jeff Blashill with the hope that his experience at different levels will allow him to get them going in the right direction. His time spent with great veterans and young players alike is seemingly perfect for this organization. 

A lot of the players already on the team need some help around them to take their game to another level. When that happens, winning will follow them on a more consistent basis. 

Three players, in particular, will take big steps under Blashill as he will set the tone for the new era.

Connor Bedard, F 

The Chicago Blackhawks have their entire future being built around Connor Bedard. The first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft has been great as a teenager in the NHL, but now he will be expected to take a big step as a point-producing forward.

Under Jeff Blashill, Bedard will be the focal point of the team’s offense. He has worked with superstar forwards like Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Dylan Larkin, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Brayden Point in the past. That knowledge may help him get Bedard to another tier. 

Part of Blashill’s plan has to be figuring out what position Bedard will stick at in the long term. Is he a center or a winger? Once that is squared away, Bedard should be able to focus his game differently. Either way, expect him to become even more of an impact player under his new coach’s watch.

“Connor’s gonna get to another level,” Blashill said when he was first asked about Bedard. Another level means turning into one of the great offensive players in the NHL right now. "Like other superstars in this league, he has the drive, the want, to be the very, very best he can be."

Blashill already has a connection starting with Connor Bedard, which is important. He didn't take long to learn as much as he could about his young star. As Blashill is around Bedard's game more going forward, these mindsets will lead to success. 

Alex Vlasic, D 

Alex Vlasic had moments in 2024-25 where he was the best defenseman on the team. As Seth Jones was sent away and more young players started to come along, the pressure wasn’t as heavy on Vlasic. This was not Vlasic’s rookie year, but it was his big breakout that allowed him to stay in the NHL for the entire season.

Vlasic won a Gold Medal with Team USA this spring at the World Championships. In the role of a defensive defenseman there, his confidence in his own end has to be as high as it ever has. 

A coach like Blashill will help young Vlasic go from being a solid player to a borderline star. In his new coach’s system and with some power play time, Vlasic may get himself into consideration for the Olympics in Milan 2026. 

Expect Blashill to help him reach that potential by having him push the puck up the ice to an improved group of forwards while staying committed to his skills in his end. 

“The scouts here have done an excellent job," Blashill said of the organization's recent success in acquiring talent. "We have a number of great young players. We have an opportunity to have depth at every position and potential superstars at every position, and that’s very unique in this league."

Vlasic is one of the young players who create the depth on defense that Blashill is referring to. With other new players ready to patrol the blue line for this team, like Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov, Vlasic will be one of the guys relied on to lead that depth. 

Frank Nazar, F

The Chicago Blackhawks called Frank Nazar up from the AHL's Rockford IceHogs in the middle of the 2024-25 season, and he never went back down. The offense he created, his ability on the penalty kill, and the mature game he brought to the team allowed him to stick around. 

Nazar’s offense started to show towards the end of the NHL regular season. He kept it going in the IIHF World Championships with Team USA. He co-led this Gold Medal-winning team in scoring. 

Like Vlasic, Nazar will benefit from this experience with Jeff Blashill leading the way. The new head coach will give young Nazar a lot of ice time in a top-six role, as long as he continues to produce and play well in all three zones. 

In this new Blackhawks era led by Blashill, who will surely cater to the young guys, Nazar will thrive with the expectations placed on him. Alongside some of the other young talent on the team, great development is coming up. 

"We want to score a lot and give up a little," was a half-joking answer given by Blashill when asked about his philosophy. As a head coach, he's the kind of guy who wants his most talented offensive players to be creative while respecting the defensive side of the puck. These three guys will be pillars in that quest. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

The Florida Panthers have been receiving steady contributions from their blueline during the playoffs.

Florida’s defensemen have accounted for 15 goals and 41 points through 18 postseason games.

Now it’s not terribly surprising to see players like Aaron Ekblad to have 11 points or Seth Jones to have three goals, but the resurgence of defenseman Nate Schmidt has been a pleasant surprise.

In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night, Schmidt had a gorgeous assist on a first period power play goal by Brad Marchand.

It was Schmidt’s first point in seven games for Florida.

He wasn’t done there, picking up another primary assist on Sam Bennett’s second goal of the game early in the second period.

Schmidt is now up to three goals and nine points during the postseason, but we have to wonder if his Game 1 helpers will spark some additional offensive production.

The veteran blueliner has seen his points come in bunches during the playoffs.

He scored three goals in a two-game span against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, then he logged four assists in five games during round two against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Those were all his postseason points prior to his two-assist outing in Edmonton, which was also Schmidt’s third multi-point game of the playoffs.

Will this be the start of another bust of offense from Schmidt?

The timing would be great for Florida, who find themselves down 0-1 in the series after dropping Game 1 in overtime.

Game 2 is set for Friday night at Rogers Place.

Considering the way his postseason has gone, placing a couple bucks on a Schmidt anytime point may be worth contemplating.

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Photo caption: Apr 22, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) is congratulated after he scored a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period in game one of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. (Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)

The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers are currently dealing with the same problem, and a K'Andre Miller trade might be the easiest way to resolve the issue.

Miller, 25, is a pending restricted free agent whose name has been dangled in trade rumors for a long time now, dating back as far as last season.

According to Cam Robinson of EliteProspects, the Rangers are letting other NHL teams know that Miller is available via trade at this week's scouting combine ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.

As a restricted free agent, of course, the Flyers and other teams can simply bypass a Miller trade altogether and instead opt to sign the former first-round pick to an offer sheet when free agency opens on July 1.

At the same time, if the Flyers wanted to guarantee Miller's signature, they can beat other teams to the punch with a trade. In that case, they would have to weigh their trade offer against the compensation they would pay the Rangers from an offer sheet, which depends on Miller's salary from the offer sheet.

The Flyers have a similar situation growing in their hands, as an RFA defenseman of their own, Cam York, is in need of a new contract.

The issue is that, according to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, York's camp and the Flyers have yet to make meaningful progress on a contract extension.

One thing the Flyers and Rangers can offer each other that few other teams can is a direct swap of their two disgruntled defenders, who come with different sizes and skillsets.

York, 24, was drafted 14th overall by the Flyers in the 2019 NHL Draft with the intention of developing him into a premier two-way defenseman with high-end offensive chops. To this point, though, York's best season has seen him produce 10 goals and 30 points while operating primarily as a safety valve for the buccaneering Travis Sanheim, who's scored 18 goals and 74 points over the last two seasons.

Miller, on the other hand, already has a 40-point season under his belt, scoring nine goals and 43 points in the 2022-23 season. At 6-foot-5, Miller is much larger than York and would be a much better alternative to a bottom-pairing player with little scoring upside like Nicolas Hague.

The former 22nd overall pick has played his best hockey alongside Adam Fox, a heady, highly intelligent puck-mover with an elite offensive skillset.

So, while the Flyers don't have an Adam Fox on their team, it's possible Miller could unlock a player like Jamie Drysdale.

Among all defense pairings that played 300 minutes together, Miller and Fox led the NHL with an expected goals percentage of 66.7%. In terms of generating offense, the duo led the league with 4.11 expected goals for per 60 minutes, per MoneyPuck.

If you're the Flyers, and you consider how average the team has been in the scoring department, trading Miller has to be intriguing, to say the least.

Another thing to consider: in 2024-25, the Flyers were 30th in the league in scoring from defensemen with just 132 points coming from the blueline. Only San Jose and Boston were worse. Just 25.1% of the Flyers' assists came from defensemen this season, which was 31st in the NHL ahead of only Dallas.

With John Tortorella and Brad Shaw out of town, and with Rick Tocchet building an entirely new coaching staff, there are no guarantees York will continue to insulate Sanheim on a regular basis.

That change alone could further drive Sanheim's scoring down and force the Flyers to deploy a more traditional partnership between left- and right-shot defenders. And Miller's size and skill are things the Flyers don't have on their defense aside from Sanheim.

If management insists on having a hulking cast of rearguards for future playoff runs, Miller is a great place to start if changes are made.

A trade between division rivals is hard to come by these days, but perhaps the Flyers and Rangers could find some motivation to find an agreement ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft later this month.

It's worth noting, too, that Miller and Flyers trade target Marco Rossi share an agent in Ian Pulver. It would be worth Philadelphia's while to consider killing two birds with one stone and address two big roster holes before free agency even opens.

As one of the most disappointing teams in the NHL for many seasons now, the Buffalo Sabres need to make extensive roster changes this summer. And an intriguing target for the Sabres could be an Anaheim Ducks youngster in need of a change of employer -- left winger Trevor Zegras.

The 24-year Zegras has stuggled to live up to expectations in Anaheim since signing a three-year contract extension in 2023 that pays him an average annual value of $5.75-million. Zegras posted two consecutive seasons of 23 goals and at least 61 points from 2021-23, but injuries limited him to only 31 games in 2023-24 (when he posted only six goals and 15 points), and last season, he generated only 12 goals and 31 points in 54 games.

But now that he's entering a contract year, Zegras will have all the motivation in the world to rebound and prove himself at least worthy of the same salary moving forward. And that's where the Sabres should be looking to pounce. Buffalo can offer Zegras a golden opportunity to rebound, and given that Zegras doesn't have any no-move or no-trade protection in his current deal, he wouldn't have any say in where the Ducks deal him.

Zegras hasn't become an ineffective NHLer because his skills have suddenly left him. But like more than a few young players, a change of teams could be just the thing he needs to revitalize his career. And while the Sabres wouldn't get Zegras on the cheap in any trade, the risk-reward involved in acquiring him would work in Buffalo's favor.  And the Sabres have long been rumored to be interested in landing Zegras.

Indeed, if Buffalo trades for Zegras and he doesn't pan out, they're under no contractual obligation to him beyond the coming season. He's going to be an RFA at the end of next year, so he's still under team control for some time to come. And if things go really bad for him, the Sabres could look to deal him at next year's trade deadline.

Sabres Should Be Focusing On Trading For This Veteran Stanley Cup-WinnerThe Buffalo Sabres are in need of many things this summer -- but more than anything else, they need some veterans to come in and establish a winning standard for a new era for the franchise. And while it won't be a cakewalk to acquire the type of talent that can change things for the Sabres, that doesn't mean Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams shouldn't be swinging for the fences in trades and free agency. 

Zegras wouldn't be the first youngster to bounce around early in his playing days, but we're getting too far ahead of ourselves. The main reason Buffalo needs to explore acquiring him in a trade is because there's still plenty of time for him to salvage a reputation as someone who can be a key long-term component on a team with legitimate playoff aspirations.

We can debate who the Sabres would have to trade to land Zegras in a deal, but some combination of young player and draft pick would probably accomplish the goal of satisfying Ducks Gm Pat Verbeek's asking price. And really, the goal for Verbeek should be to get out from under the final year of Zegras' contract. They can't expect Buffalo to trade them an elite player, because they're not necessarily getting one back in Zegras.

Sabres Won't Land Maple Leafs' Marquee Free Agents -- But They Can Set Their Sights On This Young Leafs Player Via TradeThe Buffalo Sabres have $23.2 million in salary cap space to play with this summer.  But for reasons we've covered in this THN.com article, Sabres fans can forget about acquiring Toronto Maple Leafs star and UFA right winger Mitch Marner. It's just not happening, folks. Marner probably isn't coming back to Toronto, but he's damn sure not coming to a team that hasn't made the playoffs in nearly a decade-and-a-half. And the same goes for Leafs UFA center John Tavares, who is going to happily accept a major pay cut from the $11-million he made this year if it means staying with his beloved hometown Leafs. 

In any case, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams needs to be a busy guy on the trade and free-agent front this summer, and pinpointing players who are achievable targets should put Zegras on their radar. He may no longer be the surefire difference-maker many believed he'd be when he had his breakout seasons, but Zegras still has enough upside to merit the investment Buffalo would have to make to make him a Sabre.

It's a matter of making a deal that limits the risk for Buffalo and maximizes the opportunity for a player who has already had a decent deal of success. If Adams can do that and Zegras becomes a player the Sabres can build with, the price Buffalo pays to acquire him will be well worth it.

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Florida Panthers in seven games in EA SPORTS NHL's simulation of the Stanley Cup Finals in NHL 25. 

The Oilers fell down 3-1 in the series after dropping games one, three and four before roaring back to win games five, six and seven by one goal, including a game five overtime win. 

Leon Draisaitl took home the Conn Smythe Trophy in the simulation. 

The #NHL25 simulation predicts Oilers in 7 — now it's time to finish the job and:

"DIG IN!!!!!!!!!!" 🗣️🏆🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/qxrP3xBq28

— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) June 5, 2025

Prior to round one EA SPORTS NHL's simulation predicted the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup.

The Hockey News' simulation predicted the Florida Panthers to win in five games after losing game one.

We will see which simulation is more accurate in a few weeks.

For more NHL 25 news make sure you bookmark The Hockey News Gaming Site or follow our Google News Feed.         

Photo Credit: EA SPORTS NHL