Panthers tab Maurice as head coach

*Photo from Yahoo! Sports*

   We have a coaching change coming to Sunrise. The Florida Panthers have hired Paul Maurice as their next head coach, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The Panthers officially confirmed the hiring on Wednesday.

   Panthers GM Bill Zito said of bringing in Maurice that "When we spoke to Paul Maurice, it was overwhelming that this was the man to be the real fit. It was a fit to take us into the challenges that are ahead of us moving forward ultimately to what our goal is. Looking forward to what to what we see on the horizon, the challenges that we're going to face with cap, with re-signing some of the guys and trying to get this moving forward and achieve the next level, experience is paramount."

   Maurice comes to the Panthers after they decided not to retain interim head coach Andrew Brunette as head coach. Brunette guided the Panthers to a Presidents Trophy and a second round appearance in the playoffs after taking over as head coach in October. He will be offered a new job with the Panthers if he wants it.

   Under Brunette, the Panthers won a franchise record 58 games in the regular season, and they broke a single season record for the most goals scored in the salary cap era. But that didn't translate to the playoffs. After beating the Washington Capitals in the first round, before being swept a round later.

   Maurice said of inheriting the Panthers that "We're not coming in Day One and saying we're going to win the Stanley Cup, because we can't win it that day. But what we can do is work our butts off that day and prepare for that. So that's our focus going forward. Certainly, there's enough talent here that you think we can get into going in the right direction. We are a team that will be considered, right? We're in that group."

   Coming to Sunrise is quite a coaching resume for Maurice. His 775 career wins ranks 7th in NHL history among coaches, and is 4th in NHL history among total games coached, spending 1,684 games behind the bench. Maurice has previously coached the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Winnipeg Jets.

   Maurice's coaching tenure in Winnipeg ended abruptly, when he resigned early in the regular season, feeling the team needed a new voice. The Jets went on to miss the playoffs. Maurice guided the Jets to 5 postseason appearances, including the western conference finals in 2017-2018.

   The hiring of Maurice makes the Panthers the next team to hire a head coach, joining the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers.