"His people skills are incredible," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "Just a down-to-earth person, a walking encyclopedia hockey-wise. He was an extremely smart player when he played. He played a long time and navigated his way around the League because of his hockey sense, his ability to score, his net-front presence. He was one of the best net-front presence guys I saw. He's just a great person.
"We're just super excited add to our staff with a person like this. You look back and his coaching ability and what he did last year, finishing runner-up for the top coach award, I can't say enough great things about Andrew and we're super excited to add him as well."
Fitzgerald said Brunette will run the Devils power play. New Jersey was 28th on the man-advantage last season (15.6 percent); Florida was fifth (24.4 percent).
The chance to work under Devils coach Lindy Ruff also was appealing for Brunette, Fitzgerald said.
"I think part of the reason Andrew chose us was Lindy Ruff and how much Lindy wanted him on his staff and vice versa, how much he wants to learn from Lindy Ruff and all the experiences he has over his 20 years of head coaching," Fitzgerald said.
Under Brunette, the Panthers went 51-18-6 after Joel Quenneville resigned as coach Oct. 29. Florida finished 58-18-6 (122 points), the best record in its history, and won the Presidents' Trophy for the best record in the regular season.
The Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals in six games in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round, their first series win since 1996, and were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.
The 48-year-old finished second in voting for the Jack Adams to Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames.
After the season, Florida general manager Bill Zito said the Panthers would conduct a full coaching search, and Paul Maurice was hired June 22.
"I love this team," Brunette said May 25. "But I understand the business and it is what it is, and I can just control what I can control. What I did is on the table, and if it's what they want to do going forward … and I understand either side of the equation. But it was a fun ride. I enjoyed every minute of it."
Brunette was in his fourth season on the Panthers coaching staff. Prior to that he spent seven seasons with the Minnesota Wild, including two (2014-16) as an assistant. He played 16 NHL seasons (1995-2012) as a forward with the Capitals, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks.
NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report
