Editor's Note: The above video is from Oct. 18, 2016.
Sharks assistant Bob Boughner is once again a candidate for an NHL head coaching job.
According to TSN's Pierre Lebrun, the Panthers have received permission from the Sharks to talk to Boughner about their head coaching vacancy. Last summer, Boughner was a candidate for the Colorado Avalanche's head coaching job after Patrick Roy's abrupt resignation. The job eventually went to Jared Bednar.
Boughner told NBC Sports California last September that he would still like to become an NHL head coach at some point.
"I think so. I think it's important to get experience in the league first, which I have in Columbus and [in 2015-16] here," he said. "There's nothing wrong with me coming back and getting even more experience. There's something to learn every day in this league.
"I think that's the end game, to be a head coach in this league. … At the end of the day, I think that's the end game, for sure."
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Boughner, 46, is primarily in charge of the Sharks' defense and penalty kill. Defenseman Brent Burns, the likely Norris Trophy winner, has often credited Boughner for helping him transition back to the blue line after a season-and-a-half as a forward.
Prior to joining the Sharks, Boughner was the head coach of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires for eight seasons, leading them to Memorial Cup championships in 2009 and 2010. He was named as the OHL/CHL coach of the year in 2008 and 2009, and was an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010-11.
Boughner played 630 games over 10 NHL seasons as a defenseman with the Sabres, Predators, Penguins, Flames, Hurricanes and Avalanche, wrapping up his career in Colorado for the final two seasons in 2003-04 and 2005-06.
The Sharks were fifth in the NHL in goals-against per game in 2016-17 (2.44), and had the league's 18th-ranked penalty kill (80.7 percent).
