The Carolina Hurricanes want more of Maurice.
The team signed head coach Paul Maurice to a new three-year contract, it announced on Monday.
Maurice, 42, is in his second stint behind the bench for the Hurricanes, and last season led the team to its first playoff appearance since its Stanley Cup-winning run in 2006. Maurice, who was not coaching the team that season, previously coached the Hartford Whalers/Hurricanes franchise from 1995-2003, leading them to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002.
The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario native went on to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2006 to 2008 before being fired and re-joining the Hurricanes last December.
"When Paul came in, he did a really good job of bringing the coaching staff together," said team general manager Jim Rutherford. "They had good chemistry, and the delegation of certain areas where everybody felt they had an important role in the staff worked well."
The rest of the Canes' coaching staff remains intact as will, with a few title changes.
Ron Francis is now associate head coach and director of player personnel.
Tom Barrasso, who was formerly known as the team's goaltending coach, has received the title of assistant coach, though he will still work with the Canes' goalies.
Assistant coaches Tom Rowe and Kevin McCarthy will continue in their current roles.
Last season, the Hurricanes struggled mid-season but finished up strongly with 97 points (45-30-7), good enough for sixth in the Eastern Conference. After eliminating the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Bruins from the NHL playoffs in two straight seven-game series, Carolina was swept by the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Pittsburgh Penguins in the Conference Final.
Maurice is the winningest coach in franchise history with 301 wins in 731 games.
Rutherford said that his presence greatly improved the team's outlook following two seasons of not making the playoffs after winning the Cup in 2005-06.
"That chemistry then that flowed over into the team," Rutherford said. "The players bought into it and bought into the adjustments that were made. I really felt that Paul did an exceptional job at that, which really helped in the overall picture."
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.