The Carolina Hurricanes have fired head coach Kirk Muller, as well as his assistants John MacLean and Dave Lewis.
“We thank Kirk, John and Dave for their time and effort during the past three seasons,” said new general manager Ron Francis in a release. “Kirk and his staff worked very hard, but we feel that the team is in need of a fresh start at this time.”
Assistant coach Rod Brind’Amour will remain part of the coaching staff, while goaltending coach Greg Stefan has been reassigned to the pro scouting department.
Since being hired on Nov. 28, 2011, Muller went 80-80-27 behind the bench in Carolina, failing to lead the Hurricanes to the playoffs.
Carolina joins Florida, Nashville, Vancouver and Washington on the list of teams with head-coaching vacancies. It’s possible that list grows further, depending what happens in Toronto and San Jose.