Stanley Cup champion Panthers and coach Paul Maurice agree on contract extension
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers have given out another big extension — this one, to their Stanley Cup-winning coach.
Paul Maurice and the Panthers have agreed on an extended contract, the team announced Tuesday. Maurice was in the final year of a three-year deal, and it was a certainty that the Panthers planned on keeping him around after he took the team to the Stanley Cup Final in each of his first two seasons.
“Paul has resolutely led our organization to unprecedented success during his relatively short tenure in South Florida,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said in a statement. “He is a superb communicator and leader for our staff and players, possessing a keen strategic mind for the game. We are excited for Paul and his staff to continue to keep the Florida Panthers as a destination franchise for the foreseeable future.”
Maurice entered Tuesday with 98 regular-season wins with Florida, already the third most in club history behind Jacques Martin (110) and Peter DeBoer (103). And his postseason success with the Panthers is beyond compare; he’s won 29 playoff games with Florida — highlighted by the team winning its first Stanley Cup last season — while every other coach in club history has 25 playoff wins combined.