The Florida Panthers have granted another big extension, this one to their Stanley Cup-winning coach.
Paul Maurice and the Panthers have agreed to a contract extension, the team announced Tuesday. Maurice was in the final year of a three-year contract, and it was certain the Panthers planned to retain him after he led the team to the Stanley Cup finals 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 Invoice Zito said in a statement. “He is an excellent communicator and leader for our staff and players, and has a keen strategic mind for the game. “We are excited that Paul and his staff will continue to keep the Florida Panthers a destination franchise for the foreseeable future.”
Maurice entered Tuesday with 98 single-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 unmatched; He has won 29 playoff games with Florida, which is notable because the team won its first Stanley Cup last season, while all other coaches in the club's history have 25 playoff wins combined.
It's the latest big deal the team has struck and further proof that Florida's championship core could be together for years to come.
The Panthers already announced this season that they signed forward Carter Verhaeghe to an eight-year extension, meaning they have many of their key players, also including Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Gustav Forsling, under contract through at least 2030. And the team is also talking to forward Sam Bennett about an extension.
Maurice is second in NHL history in games coached (1,855 through Tuesday) behind Scotty Bowman (2,141), and fourth all-time in wins (873) behind Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969) and Barry Trotz (914).
Last season's Panthers title was Maurice's first Stanley Cup championship.
fkH">Source link