Paul Maurice, the new Florida Panthers coach, agreed to a deal Wednesday to take over a club that is about to have its best-ever NHL season and rewrite the franchise’s record book. commercial.
The 55-year-old Maurice will be introduced on Thursday morning, the Panthers said.
Maurice will replace the Panthers interim coach, Andrew Brunette, who could stay at the organization if he chooses to do so.
The brunette took over at the start of last season after the resignation of Joel Quenneville, who had to step down following revelations that the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled abuse allegations brought forward by a player during the Stanley Cup playoffs 2010. Quenneville coached Chicago at the time.
Panthers general manager Bill Zito said in a statement published through the team, that the hiring of Maurice comes after “an in-depth examination of all aspects of our team.”
“After spending an appropriate amount of time on analysis, we determined that we needed the perfect fit to further develop our players and stay on track for our franchise goals, “Zito said. “Paul’s experience and intellect are exactly what we were looking for and we are delighted that he is stepping into the role of head coach.”
READ MORE: Former Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice is ending his contract with the Panthers: Source
The Panthers will become the fourth franchise Maurice has coached. He started in Hartford in 1995, two seasons before the franchise moved to Carolina. He coached Toronto for two seasons before returning to Carolina, then spent nearly nine years as a coach at Winnipeg before stepping down in December.
“I tried to stay here as long as I could. I love these boys. They need a new voice, and I know it,” Maurice said as he left Winnipeg.
Now six months away from that decision, Maurice is also making a fresh start with a team that is tipped to be Stanley Cup contenders.
Florida won the Presidents Cup this season and made it to the second round of the knockout stages, winning the series after the season for the first time since 1996. Brunette was coach of the final year during coaching. his first major at the NHL level, finishing as runner-up as Calgary’s Darryl Sutter for the Jack Adams Award.
However, that was not enough for him to land a permanent job, nor did he have the support of the Panthers players, including captain Aleksander Barkov and others. Instead, the Panthers are turning to Maurice – who is fourth on the NHL’s all-time all-match coach list with 1,684, seventh on the all-time wins list with 775, but has never led. any team to the Stanley Cup. He took Carolina to a series of titles in 2002, but the Hurricanes lost five games to the Detroit Red Wings.
READ MORE: Paul Maurice resigns as head coach of Winnipeg Jets
Florida, for the past three seasons combined, is second in the NHL in wins (130) and points per game (1.35) – just behind Colorado on both of those lists. Avalanche has 137 wins and is averaging 1.41 ranking points per game over that period.
The Panthers also set team records this season in multiple categories, including wins (58) and goals (340). Jonathan Huberdeau became the first Panthers player to have 100 points of the season, which won 34-7-0 at home, starting the year with eight straight wins and adding a 13-game winning streak later in the season.
Florida was swept away by Tampa Bay in the second round, and a month later, Maurice has now been brought on board to see where he can take the Panthers next season and beyond.
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