Panthers appear to be playing with fire during their head coach search
The Florida Panthers were one of the best teams in the regular season during this past season, even moving on past the first round for the first time since their inaugural season in 1996, when they reached the Stanley Cup final. However, after getting dismantled by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 4 games during the Battle of Florida in the second round, it appears they're leaving no stone unturned while trying to find the right coach for next season and beyond.
According to DailyFaceoff's Frank Seravelli, the Panthers have been very active in interviewing head coaching candidates, the list includes: Pete DeBoer, Travis Green, Rick Tocchet, Barry Trotz, and Paul Maurice (who is most likely the most surprising name on the list).
The optics of their extensive search don't look so good though. While Florida is openly interviewing a long list of potential coaches, their interim head coach and Jack Adams runner-up Andrew Burnette has not heard a thing from the front office regarding his fate.
I know Burnette doesn't have a long head coaching resume, after taking over from the disgraced Joel Quenneville, but, he was a finalist for the best coach of the year, surely that has to count for something? Not earning him a contract for next season right away is one thing, the lack of communication from the Panthers' front office must be souring the relationship between the two sides though.
The Panthers are displaying a lack of courtesy and quite frankly professionalism if the coach that took them to the second round for the first time in 19 seasons is in the dark. It's like any relationship, you let the person you don't want go, you don't keep them on the hook while you look for a "potentially" better option.
| POLL | ||
Should the Panthers be looking for a new coach? | ||
| Yes, try and get better however you can | 20 | 16.4 % |
| No, they have a good coach | 68 | 55.7 % |
| At least tell your current coach what's happening | 34 | 27.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
