SUNRISE, Fla. — The contract extension discussions between Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers weren’t exactly of the back-and-forth variety.
“There was really no negotiation,” Maurice said. “They made me a really nice offer and we shook hands and I said, ‘Thank you.’ And that was it.”
And with that, the Panthers are keeping their Stanley Cup-winning coach for the foreseeable future. Maurice and the Panthers have agreed on an extended contract, the team announced Tuesday without disclosing terms.
“I’m interested in coaching the Florida Panthers for as long as they’ll have me,” Maurice said. “It’s great coming to the rink.”
Maurice was in the final year of a three-year deal, and it was a certainty that Panthers owners Vincent and Teresa Viola planned on keeping him around after he took the team to the Stanley Cup Final in each of his first two seasons.
“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 statement. “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 announced the extension a couple hours before taking the ice against Minnesota, losing that game 5-1.
“I’m hopeful the ink dried on that thing,” Maurice quipped after the game. “No, it’s an honor. I’m very thankful and appreciative to the Viola family, not just for their generosity but for the investment they’ve made here over the years. … We’ve had success together but there’s a lot of people that made that possible.”
Maurice has 98 regular-season wins with Florida, already the third most in club history behind Jacques Martin (110) and Peter DeBoer (103). And his postseason success with the Panthers is beyond compare; he’s won 29 playoff games with Florida — highlighted by the team winning its first Stanley Cup last season — while every other coach in club history has 25 playoff wins combined.
It’s the latest big deal that the team has gotten done, and more proof that Florida’s championship core might be together for years to come.
“Guys really trust him,” Bennett said of Maurice. “They really believe in him and his systems, and it clearly works. Obviously, that’s great news for the Florida Panthers organization.”
Maurice is second in NHL history in games coached (1,856) behind Scotty Bowman (2,141), and fourth all-time in wins (873) behind Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969) and Barry Trotz (914).
Last season’s title by the Panthers was Maurice’s first Stanley Cup championship.
The days leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline were a furious final sprint as contenders looked to stock up for a postseason run while rebuilding clubs added prospects and draft capital.
After the overnight Brock Nelson blockbuster Thursday, Friday lived up to expectations, with Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand and other high-profile players finishing the day on different teams than they started with. All told, NHL teams made 24 trades on deadline day involving 47 players.
Which teams and players won the day? Who might not feel as well about the situation after trade season? Reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identify the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline:
There are some who saw what the Carolina Hurricanes did at the trade deadline — or perhaps failed to do after they traded Mikko Rantanen — and believe they’re cooked when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, based on the projections from Stathletes, the Canes remain the team with the highest chances of winning the Cup, at 16.7%.
Standing before them on Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Jets had a relatively quiet deadline, adding Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, though sometimes these additions are the types of small tweaks that can push a contender over the edge. As it stands, the Jets enter their showdown against the Canes with the sixth-highest Cup chances, at 8.7%.
Carolina has made two trips to the Cup Final: a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and a win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Canes have reached the conference finals three times since (2009, 2019, 2023). Winnipeg has yet to make the Cup Final, and was defeated 4-1 in the 2018 Western Conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights in the club’s lone trip to the penultimate stage.
Both clubs are due. Will this be their year?
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 43 Regulation wins: 12 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 17 Points pace: 54.3 Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 8
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Hintz extended his stick toward Henrique, whose wrist shot sent the puck under Hintz’s visor during his club’s 5-4 loss to the Oilers. He was on the ice, with his face in a towel, as the team’s medical staff assessed him and helped him skate toward the dressing room.
After the loss, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said Hintz was at a local hospital, receiving tests. The coach added that the initial report was fairly optimistic for Hintz, 28, who has 25 goals and 52 points.
“Everyone’s optimistic that it’s not ‘serious, serious,'” DeBoer said. “But we won’t know until we get testing.”
The short-handed Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit before eventually losing. Trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his debut for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Matt Dumba also scored for the Stars.