 Mississauga was swept by the Niagara IceDogs in the first round of the playoffs.Hulton was hired by the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League on July 9, 2008, as an assistant coach of the club under head coach Peter DeBoer.In his first season with the Panthers in 2008–09, the club finished with a 41–30–11 record, earning 93 points, however, they finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, failing to qualify for the post-season.