The Florida Panthers have officially joined the list of teams in the market for a new head coach.
The team announced Sunday that Bob Boughner had been relieved of his duties behind the bench, bringing his tenure with the club to a close after only two seasons. Boughner went 80-62-22 over the course of his two seasons coaching the Panthers. The team missed the playoffs in both years.
"We made a tough decision today and have relieved Bob Boughner of his duties as head coach," said Dale Tallon, Panthers president of hockey operations & general manager. "We didn't meet expectations this season and share responsibility for that fact.
"After careful evaluation, we have determined that this is a necessary first step for our young team and we will seek to identify a transformative, experienced head coach with Stanley Cup pedigree to lead our team going forward."
The news doesn't entirely come as a surprise considering the Panthers' disappointing season. Despite career years from several players, the team finished fifth in the Atlantic Division with 86 points, a 10-point dropoff from where they finished last year.
Florida has a talented young core that features elite offensive talents like Aleksandr Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, but they haven't qualified for the postseason since 2016, when they lost in the first round.
Boughner's dismissal means the Panthers will be looking to hire their fourth coach in as many years. They'll have some competition in that hunt, as they become the seventh NHL team that is without a full-time head coach at the moment, joining the Ducks, Oilers, Kings, Senators, Flyers and Blues.
