Bob Boughner given permission to interview with Panthers: report
Former NHL defenseman assistant coach with San Jose Sharks
NHL.com @NHLdotcom
The Florida Panthers have received permission from the San Jose Sharks to speak to Bob Boughner about their coaching vacancy, TSN reported Tuesday.
Boughner, 46, has been an assistant under coach Peter DeBoer in San Jose the past two seasons. Boughner was an assistant with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Scott Arniel's staff in 2010-11.
The Panthers fired coach Gerard Gallant on Nov. 27. Tom Rowe took over for Gallant but was not retained after Florida finished 35-36-11, 14 points out of a Stanley Cup Playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.
Boughner played 630 NHL games as a defenseman for the Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche from 1995-2006. He was coach for Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League for eight of nine seasons before joining DeBoer's staff.
The Panthers reportedly also are interested in former Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien and University of Denver coach Jim Montgomery.
"We've interviewed a half-dozen guys, probably going to do another half a dozen or so," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon told Sportsnet on Saturday.