RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes fired coach Kirk Muller and most of his coaching staff Monday, one week into Ron Francis’ tenure as general manager.
“Kirk and his staff worked very hard, but we feel that the team is in need of a fresh start at this time,” Francis said in a statement issued by the team.
The Hurricanes scheduled a 2 p.m. ET news conference to discuss the moves.
Assistants John MacLean and Dave Lewis also were fired, and goaltending coach Greg Stefan was reassigned to the team’s pro scouting department.
Rod Brind’Amour, a third-year assistant who was the captain of Carolina’s Stanley Cup-winning team, will remain part of the coaching staff, Francis said.
Muller was 80-80-27 in three seasons with the Hurricanes, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2009, the longest active drought in the Eastern Conference. Carolina finished 13th in the 16-team East this season and has missed the postseason in seven of the eight years since winning its only Stanley Cup in 2006.
Muller, 48, was a six-time All-Star during a 19-year playing career with six teams, most notably the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens. He had never been a head coach in the NHL and was in his first season coaching the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL when the Hurricanes hired him during the 2011-12 season to replace the fired Paul Maurice.
The relentlessly positive Muller spent the past month in limbo, saying in mid-April that upper management had not told him anything about his job status and that he was going about his business as if he would remain the coach.
While Hurricane owner Peter Karmanos Jr. said late in the season that he liked the coaching staff, he added last week that any decision on Muller’s fate would be entirely Francis’.
During his formal introduction as GM last week, Francis said his impending decision on Muller’s status “needs due process.”
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@SportsCenter
