A day after the Dallas Stars announced Lindy Ruff would not be returning as coach for the 2017-18 season, another team set to watch the playoffs from home has done a little ruffling of its own.
After finishing sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 35-36-11 mark on the year, the Florida Panthers revealed that Dale Tallon, the team’s general manager from 2010-16, will return to his post as GM while his replacement as GM, Tom Rowe, will be replaced as head coach.
Rowe, who left the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate in January 2016 to become Florida’s associate general manager, also assumed head coaching duties when he ousted Gerard Gallant in November. But a little more than four months in that gig proved to be enough for either Rowe or the Panthers (or both), as the team made it clear it will head in a new direction this offseason.
“We have the talent to get back on track in a hurry,” Tallon said as he reprises his old GM role, according to the NHL. “This was a difficult year for us, but I think we learned some tough lessons about what it takes to win consistently in the NHL. With a few tweaks to our roster and the right leadership, I’m confident we can get back to contending for the Stanley Cup next season.”
Rowe, who took over for Tallon as the full-time GM in May 2016 and then went 24-27-10 in 61 games as the Panthers’ head coach starting in late November, will remain with Florida in an advising role alongside Tallon.
