According to reports, the Florida Panthers have found their new head coach. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that Bob Boughner will be named the team’s new head coach on Monday.
FLA expected to announce on Monday that Bob Boughner is the Panthers' new head coach.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 10, 2017
Report: Florida Panthers to name Bob Boughner head coach on Monday
This past season was a mess for the Panthers. They missed the playoffs after winning the Atlantic Division the previous season. Gerrard Gallant was the head coach at the start of the season, but was replaced by Tom Rowe who was the general manager at the time. At the end of the season, Rowe was relieved of his head coaching duties and assigned back to the front office. Meanwhile, Dale Tallon resumed the role as being the general manager.
Boughner’s Credentials
This will be Boughner’s first opportunity as an NHL head coach. He’s spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach in San Jose under Peter Deboer. Boughner was an assistant with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010-11. He has also been the head coach of the Windsor Spitfires for eight years sandwiched around his time in Columbus. He won two Memorial Cups. Boughner would be the Panthers 15th coach in the past 23 years and their fifth since 2011.
Before being a coach, Boughner was a player in the league and played 630 career games. He played for the Avalanche, Hurricanes, Flames, Penguins, Predators, and Sabres. Boughner had 15 goals but also racked up over 1,000 penalty minutes. He signed with the Panthers as a free agent in 1994 but never got to play a game with them as he only played with the minor league club.
The Panthers will hope to have a much better season this season after finishing 7th in the Atlantic Division with 81 points. Florida has their core locked up for many years to come and don’t have many free agents to sign back. Jaromir Jagr will be 46 and is a free agent though. It will be interesting to see if he wants to come back under a new head coach.
Main Photo:
