Paul Maurice will reportedly be hired as the next head coach of the Florida Panthers, according to Elliotte Friedman and Darren Dreger.
The former Winnipeg Jets bench boss would replace Andrew Brunette, who took over on an interim basis following Joel Quenneville’s resignation in October. Maurice resigned his position in December, explaining that the team needed “a new voice.” The 55-year-old had been with the franchise since Jan. 2014 and led them to a 315-223-62 record. He has coached the fourth-most games in NHL history (1,684) with four franchises — Winnipeg, Toronto, and Carolina.
Brunette guided the Panthers to a 51-18-6 record and helped the franchise earn its first Presidents’ Trophy. For his work, Brunette was voted as a finalist for the 2021-22 Jack Adams Award, which was won by Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter.
[NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2022 schedule, TV info]
The Panthers did not fare so successfully in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, however. After dispatching the Washington Capitals in six games they were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It was a month ago that the season ended for the Panthers, and there was very little movement on bringing Brunette back and dropping his “interim” tag. Over the last week the team has made changes to the coaching staff, letting assistants Ulf Samuelsson and Derek MacKenzie go while keeping Tuomo Ruutu on board — at least for now. There is now clarity in the position and Maurice can begin building his own staff.
According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the team will offer Brunette, who has one year left on his contract, a “significant role” if he chooses to stay with the organization.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.
Paul Maurice reportedly replacing Brunette as Panthers head coach originally appeared on NBCSports.com
