Martin Fired as Coach

Jacques Martin will no longer serve as the Florida Panthers' head coach.

The report says he might be retained as the GM and that the decision was made solely out of a need to have a change at head coach. I'll say this much: I don't know whether or not is is Martin's fault the Panthers have continued to miss the playoffs. I really couldn't tell you much about his coaching style or how he connected with players or whatnot. Supposedly things weren't working out in the locker room, but I think that's irrelevant.

The more important issue is that Martin didn't have much to work with. Perhaps there is a better candidate available, one better suited for the job and one who doesn't have to deal with the dual GM-Coach role. That's fine. But firing Martin based on coaching ability might not hold all that much water considering the player personnel the Panthers have right now. That's like firing Fredi Gonzalez after this season if he doesn't take the Marlins to the playoffs.

The fact remains that the Panthers as an organization haven't done enough to win and it has been reflected in the past decade or so. They can't draft worth a damn and haven't signed many marquee free agents. If they aren't willing to put out a top product, then they can't reasonably expect the team to succeed regardless of who the coach is.