The Florida Panthers fired coach Peter DeBoer Sunday after three seasons behind the bench.
"These decisions are always tough to make, but we felt strongly that it was the right time to make a change," Panthers GM Dale Tallon told the team's website. "We need to go in a new direction with a fresh approach and philosophy as it relates to our head coaching position. The entire Panthers organization would like to thank Peter for his hard work and service to this franchise and wish him all the best in the future."
DeBoer was 103-107-36 in three seasons in Florida. His best season was his first, when the Panthers finished with 93 points, the same as eight-place Montreal, but missed the postseason by a tiebreaker.
The Panthers struggled the last two seasons, finishing 14th in the Eastern Conference last season and 15th this season.
DeBoer arrived in Florida after a highly successful career coaching junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Plymouth Whalers and Kitchener Rangers, where he coached future NHL players like Mike Richards, David Booth, Stephen Weiss and Steve Mason.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.