Seeking to ease his off-ice responsibilities, Panthers coach and General Manager Jacques Martin announced the hiring of Randy Sexton as assistant general manager on Friday.

Sexton, 47, worked for eight seasons (1988-95) with the Ottawa Senators, including stints as the team's president, chief executive officer and general manager.

"It's just going to be a big help from the standpoint of giving me more time to focus on the coaching," said Martin, who took over GM duties when Mike Keenan resigned in September.

Martin is a former Senators coach who went to Ottawa just after Sexton was dismissed as general manager in December 1995. But Martin, 54, and Sexton have known each other for years. They met when Martin coached Sexton at a youth hockey camp.

Sexton, who arrived in South Florida on Friday, said Martin also helped recruit him to play hockey at St. Lawrence University in New York.

With the Panthers, Sexton will negotiate contracts, supervise the organization's scouting and work on matters related to the team's AHL affiliate in Rochester, N.Y.

Sexton served as the Senators' general manager from 1993 to 1995, bringing in some of the players who helped Ottawa become a perennial playoff participant.

Sexton was serving as executive director of Capital Sports Management Inc., a sister company to the Senators' franchise, when he was contacted by Martin in mid-September. Sexton's duties included supervising the Senators' practice facility.

"What excites me about here is we have an opportunity to build a winning tradition," Sexton said. "We built a winning tradition in Ottawa, not a winning season, but a winning tradition. Big difference.

"This day and age, you can sell your soul to get some good players, get you in the playoffs for one year and the next year you're back on the bottom again."