Interim to All-Star: Panthers’ Brunette will coach Atlantic Division in All-Star Game
The Florida Panthers will have at least one representative in the 2022 NHL All-Star Game.
Andrew Brunette will be the coach for the Atlantic Division next month in Las Vegas.
In all likelihood, he’ll lead a roster with several of his own players at T-Mobile Arena.
Brunette, who’s still just the interim coach, has led the Panthers to a 16-7-5 record since he replaced Joel Quenneville in the first month of the season following the former coach’s resignation over his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2010 mishandling of sexual assault allegations.
Florida (23-7-5) entered Thursday tied for the league lead with 51 points and was second in the NHL in points percentage. The Panthers also lead the Atlantic in points percentage.
This season is the first time Brunette has been a head coach at any level. He began his coaching career in 2014 with the Minnesota Wild and spent two years as an assistant coach before moving into the Wild’s front office and spending two years as an assistant general manager. In 2019, he joined Quenneville’s staff in Florida — he played for Quenneville for four seasons with the Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche — and spent more than two years as one of his top assistants before taking over eight games into the season.
Brunette stepped in to lead a team with Stanley Cup aspirations — the Panthers hadn’t lost when Brunette took over — and he has kept Florida on track.
Fan voting for the All-Star Game ended Saturday and rosters will be announced Thursday. The Panthers have several strong candidates to play in the game, led by All-Star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau, and star defensemen Aaron Ekblad and MacKenzie Weegar. Star center Aleksander Barkov is also a candidate, although injuries have limited him to just 22 games this year.
