Panthers fire Bob Boughner after 2 seasons

The Florida Panthers fired Bob Boughner on Sunday after two seasons as the club's head coach, the team announced.

"We made a tough decision today and have relieved Bob Boughner of his duties as head coach," president of hockey operations and general manager Dale Tallon said in a statement. "We didn't meet expectations this season and share responsibility for that fact. After careful evaluation, we have determined that this is a necessary first step for our young team and we will seek to identify a transformative, experienced head coach with Stanley Cup pedigree to lead our team going forward. We're grateful to Bob, Paul, and their families for their hard work and their dedication to the Panthers organization and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors."

The Panthers registered 86 points this season and missed the playoffs for the third straight year. They did receive strong performances, however, from Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, who each eclipsed 90 points.

Florida's struggles came between the pipes, as it ranked 28th in the league with 273 goals against.

In March, Tallon said the club plans to be aggressive in free agency, which can be made possible with the over $17 million in projected cap space it has next season, according to Cap Friendly.

The next Panthers head coach will be the franchise's sixth since 2013. Anaheim, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Philadelphia, and St. Louis also have vacancies behind the bench.