(Sunrise) Bill Zito was promoted to president of hockey operations for the Florida Panthers on Monday.
The promotion came with a multi-year contract extension, the terms of which were not revealed by the reigning Eastern Conference champions.
Zito’s arrival four years ago sparked a major turnaround for the Panthers, who made the playoffs in all four of his seasons as manager – an unprecedented streak in club history. They won more than half of their games in each of the four seasons.
In the 26 campaigns before Zito’s arrival, the Panthers had only three with more than 50% winning.
“Obviously, on a personal level, I’m thrilled and honored,” Zito said. And I’m grateful to be able to continue building and pursuing the goal of making the team a destination for players. »
This is another example of how the Panthers are getting along with the talented people in their organization for years to come. One of owner Vincent Viola’s mandates was to assure fans that what is built in Florida is built to last for many years.
Among the long-term contracts in Florida are those of players Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling as well as that of head coach Paul Maurice. Now there’s also the person who signed all those contracts for the Panthers.
The Panthers have the fifth-best record in the NHL under Zito and the second-best offense tied with the Edmonton Oilers.
Zito was also a finalist for General Manager of the Year twice. The Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022 and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2023.