The Florida Panthers are coming off an ugly and early exit from the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and they will be looking to rebound with a new head coach. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Paul Maurice is closing in on becoming the next head coach of the franchise.

The Florida Panthers are in talks with Paul Maurice to be their next head coach, sources say. Andrew Brunette could still remain with the organization. Still unclear on that front.

Maurice most recently worked for the Winnipeg Jets as the team's head coach until his surprising decision to resign from the post in December 2021. Winnipeg had a 13-10-5 record when Maurice decided to leave his head coaching position. Before he exited the Jets, Maurice steered the team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs a total of five times, even reaching the Western Conference finals in 2018.

In an ideal world for the Panthers, they should still be playing hockey this time of the year. They were handed the Presidents' Trophy after finishing the 2021-22 NHL regular season with the best record (58-18-6), but were ripped apart in a second-round sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who eventually won the Eastern Conference championship.

The Panthers started the 2021-22 season with Joel Quenneville, who stepped down in October. He was replaced by Andrew Brunette on an interim basis.