Paul Maurice will be the new coach of the Florida Panthers.
Maurice will replace Andrew Brunette, who was the interim head coach.
Brunette replaced Joel Quenneville early last season and guided the Panthers to the Presidents’ Trophy before the team was swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the NHL Playoffs.
Maurice resigned as coach of the Winnipeg Jets in December after spending almost nine years with the club.
Under Maurice, the Jets made the playoffs the previous four years — highlighted by a run to the Western Conference Final in 2018.
The 55-year-old native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., previously coached the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Maurice’s best post-season result was a Stanley Cup Final loss with the Hurricanes in 2002.
Maurice has coached 1,685 regular-season games in the NHL. Between jobs in the NHL, he also coached in the AHL (Toronto Marlies) and KHL (Metallurg Magnitogorsk).
