Florida Panthers give Paul Maurice multi-year contract extension

The Florida Panthers have spent most of the summer and the start of the season locking up the remaining players of their core to long-term contracts.

Now, they have done the same for the man behind the bench that led the team to its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

The Panthers on Tuesday announced that coach Paul Maurice has agreed to a multi-year contract extension. The exact length and terms of the deal were not announced.

Maurice was in the last season of his contract.

“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 Bill Zito said in a press release. “He is a superb communicator and leader for our staff and players, possessing a keen strategic mind for the game. We are excited for Paul and his staff to continue to keep the Florida Panthers as a destination franchise for the foreseeable future.”

The Panthers have reached the Stanley Cup Final in both of Maurice’s first two seasons with the team — losing in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 before winning it all in 2024 by beating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. Florida has gone 171-98-58 in the regular season with him behind the bench entering Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Maurice has coached the second-most games all-time in NHL history, with 1,855 entering Tuesday. He trails just Scotty Bowman, who coached 2,141 games.

This story will be updated.