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."
Boughner's firing 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. The Panthers will now be looking to hire their fourth coach in as many years, and they seem to have a strong idea of what they're looking for in his replacement.
From their statement: "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."
Former Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, who was let go by Chicago this season, fits that description well, and the Panthers are apparently zeroing in on him to become their next coach. The two sides are reportedly close to finalizing a deal.
There is a real sense today that the process between FLA and Joel Quenneville is much further along than many of us realized. It’s not a done deal, but it’s close. It would not be a surprise if this process closes in the near future.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 7, 2019
Just heard that Joel Quenneville is a done deal in Florida, announcement coming tomorrow. Also a chance that Garth Snow makes his way down there in some capacity. Fluid situation. #Isles #FlaPanthers
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) April 7, 2019
According to ESPN, a deal with Florida could pay Quenneville more than $6 million annually with bonuses, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. Toronto's Mike Babcock sits in the top spot at roughly $6.25 million per year.
Quenneville, 60, would take over a Florida club that hasn't accomplished much recently despite possessing a talented young core with elite offensive talents like Aleksandr Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. The team hasn't qualified for the postseason since 2016, when they lost in the first round.
Coach Q led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups titles in a six-year span and many dubbed the team a modern day dynasty. He is the second winningest coach in NHL history with a career record of 890-532-214.
