The Florida Panthers are expected to name Bob Boughner as their new head coach as early as Monday. The promotion will lift Boughner from his role as assistant coach of the San Jose Sharks, where he worked under former Panthers bench boss, Pete DeBoer.

DeBoer believes his former employer is doing the right thing by poaching his assistant from the past two seasons.

"The best compliment I can give him is that if I was hiring a new coach for a team, he would be a guy I would hire," said DeBoer, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald.

Boughner has 10 years of NHL experience as a player, but DeBoer says his protege isn't resting on old laurels.

"He came up the right way," DeBoer said. "He rode the buses and didn't just expect to get a job. He worked hard for this, paid his dues and deserves this. I have no doubt he is going to be successful."

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.