Around the NHL 10 - 2022/23

[KingBogo]

A pattern I have noticed:

When folks here start taking too much pleasure in this thread in Maurice/Florida's record, the Jets start to lose games and suffer injuries. When they are quiete about it, they win games and survive injury scares. Let's not tempt fate again.

Not sure this holds. I’m pretty sure a day hasn’t past where someone hasn’t posted about Maurice somewhere on this board.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

Thanks for the reminder - speaking of Paul Maurice, I saw this post on the "Your Winnipeg Jets Hockey Homepage" group on facebook. A perfect singular example of what we had been discussing for years about Maurice - he does not maximize the talent that the roster provides. He minimizes it, as Florida is now learning.

"From Jacob Stoller of The Hockey News:

Before this season, Josh Morrissey had restraints.

Paul Maurice's systems called for defensemen to stay home, giving little leeway to join the rush and get involved offensively. But when Rick Bowness came in this year, [he allowed the smooth-skating, poised puck handler to create chances.](https://thehockeynews.com/news/josh-morrissey-is-a-norris-trophy-candidate-but-can-he-win-it) It elevated Morrissey's impact to unprecedented heights. Morrissey would be the clear frontrunner this season if there were a most valuable defenseman award.

Morrissey leads the Jets in scoring with 42 points in 36 games – blowing by his career high of 37 – and averages a team-high 23:22 TOI/GP. Adam Lowry described him as an anchor on the back end.

"He's been so critical for us in every situation," Lowry said after the Jets fell 4-1 to the Wild on Tuesday. "He's a key cog in the offense and in the D-zone, shutting down the other team's top players in every situation."

While Morrissey – averaging an assist per game – may scream as a regression candidate to the naked eye, it's not like the 27-year-old defenseman is doing anything he wasn't capable of beforehand.

The only difference is that his skillset is being weaponized to create offense. It makes you wonder what kind of point totals Morrissey would have in the past years if he had played under a different coach."

 

[Jet]

Thanks for the reminder - speaking of Paul Maurice, I saw this post on the "Your Winnipeg Jets Hockey Homepage" group on facebook. A perfect singular example of what we had been discussing for years about Maurice - he does not maximize the talent that the roster provides. He minimizes it, as Florida is now learning.

"From Jacob Stoller of The Hockey News:

Before this season, Josh Morrissey had restraints.

Paul Maurice's systems called for defensemen to stay home, giving little leeway to join the rush and get involved offensively. But when Rick Bowness came in this year, [he allowed the smooth-skating, poised puck handler to create chances.](https://thehockeynews.com/news/josh-morrissey-is-a-norris-trophy-candidate-but-can-he-win-it) It elevated Morrissey's impact to unprecedented heights. Morrissey would be the clear frontrunner this season if there were a most valuable defenseman award.

Morrissey leads the Jets in scoring with 42 points in 36 games – blowing by his career high of 37 – and averages a team-high 23:22 TOI/GP. Adam Lowry described him as an anchor on the back end.

"He's been so critical for us in every situation," Lowry said after the Jets fell 4-1 to the Wild on Tuesday. "He's a key cog in the offense and in the D-zone, shutting down the other team's top players in every situation."

While Morrissey – averaging an assist per game – may scream as a regression candidate to the naked eye, it's not like the 27-year-old defenseman is doing anything he wasn't capable of beforehand.

The only difference is that his skillset is being weaponized to create offense. It makes you wonder what kind of point totals Morrissey would have in the past years if he had played under a different coach."

I think Paul came up with a plan after we lost our entire d corps minus Josh and backfilled with tweeners.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a good plan and he couldn't seem to move away from it.

 

[scelaton]

Well he wasn’t wrong when he said this team had a lot of potential and that he wasn’t the guy to get them over the line.
Much respect for the honesty.

I don't think he was completely honest with himself, however. I'm pretty sure that after almost 30 years as an NHL coach Maurice is (and was) just burned out. He may have convinced himself that he needed to leave the Jets, but really he just needed to leave.

Not realizing/admitting that to himself or others allowed him to collect another $10M in salary from The Panthers.

I expect Maurice to be out of NHL coaching (and ultimately back in media) very soon. No cognitive dissonance to have to deal with any longer.

PS--The frustration I expressed this past off-season was not at PauMau, but at the Jets executive branch, who should have seen this much earlier, and acted on it.

 

[Eyeseeing]

I don't think he was completely honest with himself, however. I'm pretty sure that after almost 30 years as an NHL coach Maurice is (and was) just burned out. He may have convinced himself that he needed to leave the Jets, but really he just needed to leave.

Not realizing/admitting that to himself or others allowed him to collect another $10M in salary from The Panthers.

I expect Maurice to be out of NHL coaching (and ultimately back in media) very soon. No cognitive dissonance to have to deal with any longer.

PS--The frustration I expressed this past off-season was not at PauMau, but at the Jets executive branch, who should have seen this much earlier, and acted on it.

Here’s how I see it.
I believe Paul did know and probably at some point did express doubts privately about getting more out of this roster.
I am thinking that because Chipman believed in him big time as friends do, Maurice soldiered on until there was no mistaking it wouldn’t work.
Most of us would do anything in our power to try to reward the faith put in us by those who support us through thick and thin.
Talk about pressure!
Wish Paul would have taken at least a year off.
Seems like an honourable person to me and it’s a shame what’s happening to him now.

 

[kanadalainen]

I don't think he was completely honest with himself, however. I'm pretty sure that after almost 30 years as an NHL coach Maurice is (and was) just burned out. He may have convinced himself that he needed to leave the Jets, but really he just needed to leave.

Not realizing/admitting that to himself or others allowed him to collect another $10M in salary from The Panthers.

I expect Maurice to be out of NHL coaching (and ultimately back in media) very soon. No cognitive dissonance to have to deal with any longer.

PS--The frustration I expressed this past off-season was not at PauMau, but at the Jets executive branch, who should have seen this much earlier, and acted on it.

Great post. I would emphasize that if PoMo is burnt out (IMHO he clearly is) then pushing for another big gig in FLA was either a bad mistake or a serious miscalculation (by him). I suspect that Zito won't fire Maurice too quickly as that may also lead to his own hastened lack of employment.

 

[kanadalainen]

Wish Paul would have taken at least a year off.

Exactly!

 

[scelaton]

Here’s how I see it.
I believe Paul did know and probably at some point did express doubts privately about getting more out of this roster.
I am thinking that because Chipman believed in him big time as friends do, Maurice soldiered on until there was no mistaking it wouldn’t work.
Most of us would do anything in our power to try to reward the faith put in us by those who support us through thick and thin.
Talk about pressure!
Wish Paul would have taken at least a year off.
Seems like an honourable person to me and it’s a shame what’s happening to him now.

I think Paul is probably a very good person and I never liked the personal vitriol that was directed his way.
And he was under tremendous pressure, without a doubt.

But... for smart people in high-paying jobs, with lots of responsibility, one of the hardest decisions to make is when to leave. Many, many people get it wrong, or succumb to the financial inducement to stay, and their reputation suffers accordingly. Paul is just another one of them, except that the money and public scrutiny are greater than most others.

 

[Jet]

I would't be surprised it Paul was considering retirement from coaching (moving into a consultant or front office job) when he left the Jets. However, like a player - you have a window of opportunity in that job and you have to maximize it. He might have seen Florida as his last kick at the can and a chance to pad his retirement fund. Plus, being able to work in Soflo after spending so long in Winnipeg had to be attractive (weather, no state income tax, less fan pressure)

 

[Daximus]

Given Bedards performance so far at the WJC I wonder if teams will start accelerating the tank. Chicago still has Kane and Toews to move. Anaheim has a few defencemen they can unload. SJ may push to unload a few players. Even CBJ may try to start unloading some of their UFA's.

We might see a race to the bottom from some of these teams now.

 

[None]

Given Bedards performance so far at the WJC I wonder if teams will start accelerating the tank. Chicago still has Kane and Toews to move. Anaheim has a few defencemen they can unload. SJ may push to unload a few players. Even CBJ may try to start unloading some of their UFA's.

We might see a race to the bottom from some of these teams now.

I only half jokingly suggested it in the WJC thread but I wouldn't be surprised at all. First we're going to see players getting shut down for the year with long term injuries I think, followed by trades.

 

[puck stoppa]

I would't be surprised it Paul was considering retirement from coaching (moving into a consultant or front office job) when he left the Jets. However, like a player - you have a window of opportunity in that job and you have to maximize it. He might have seen Florida as his last kick at the can and a chance to pad his retirement fund. Plus, being able to work in Soflo after spending so long in Winnipeg had to be attractive (weather, no state income tax, less fan pressure)

I hear the fans are on him pretty hard, chanting for him to be gone at games. Great guy, don’t want to see him not succeed, but why would they fire Brunette after such a good season?

 

[DRW204]

There does seem to be a lot of injuries this year.

I also think that the West playoff picture is fairly set. I don't really see any of the chasing teams being able to do anything to get back in it. The order is up in the air but I think there's at best 1 spot up for grabs at this point. It's a weak conference.

appear to be correct.

last season's abnormally high trend was due to the COVID related absences. but we are trending quite higher vs the average of last 20 years.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

I think Paul is probably a very good person and I never liked the personal vitriol that was directed his way.
And he was under tremendous pressure, without a doubt.

But... for smart people in high-paying jobs, with lots of responsibility, one of the hardest decisions to make is when to leave. Many, many people get it wrong, or succumb to the financial inducement to stay, and their reputation suffers accordingly. Paul is just another one of them, except that the money and public scrutiny are greater than most others.

I am not sure how much actual personal vitriol was thrown his way here. I think that the majority of the personal comments referred to him as a genuinely good person, and a great ambassador for the city and the organization. I think the vast majority of the vitriol was regarding his performance as a coach in a professional capacity and how it was impacting the performance of the team on the ice and where it matters - in the standings. That's not personal vitriol, that's business.

 

[BoneDocUK]

I am not sure how much actual personal vitriol was thrown his way here. I think that the majority of the personal comments referred to him as a genuinely good person, and a great ambassador for the city and the organization. I think the vast majority of the vitriol was regarding his performance as a coach in a professional capacity and how it was impacting the performance of the team on the ice and where it matters - in the standings. That's not personal vitriol, that's business.

Agree.

Quite a few here also noted that he brought genuine improvements to an ailing team when hired and that even as results fell off he might continue to be an important asset in upper management or even as a frontman on a more democratic coaching bench that assigned specific roles to the people best equipped to carry them out -- interestingly, I think Bowness's long experience in and even preference for the AC role has helped him to achieve a viable version of a "Coaching Cooperative" here.

I think PM is a victim of his own longevity at this point. He's been around long enough to be pigeonholed for his particular coaching skillset -- interpersonal communication and player motivation, media management -- and too long to remake himself and adapt those to the modern game effectively.

Time to move into full-time punditry IMO. Without doing it from behind the bench.

 

[JetsFan815]

Not sure this holds. I’m pretty sure a day hasn’t past where someone hasn’t posted about Maurice somewhere on this board.

I just remember that the rash of injuries in December happened right around the peak of Maurice talk here,

 

[surixon]

Agree.

Quite a few here also noted that he brought genuine improvements to an ailing team when hired and that even as results fell off he might continue to be an important asset in upper management or even as a frontman on a more democratic coaching bench that assigned specific roles to the people best equipped to carry them out -- interestingly, I think Bowness's long experience in and even preference for the AC role has helped him to achieve a viable version of a "Coaching Cooperative" here.

I think PM is a victim of his own longevity at this point. He's been around long enough to be pigeonholed for his particular coaching skillset -- interpersonal communication and player motivation, media management -- and too long to remake himself and adapt those to the modern game effectively.

Time to move into full-time punditry IMO. Without doing it from behind the bench.

Agreed, imo he probably took the Florida job too soon. I think he needed to take some time and reinvent himself if he wanted to continue coaching. What he was doing the last three years here was outdated and according to Florida fans it's largely carried over to their team.

 

[snowkiddin]

Agreed, imo he probably took the Florida job too soon. I think he needed to take some time and reinvent himself if he wanted to continue coaching. What he was doing the last three years here was outdated and according to Florida fans it's largely carried over to their team.

I’m on the fence with his tenure there. I have a soft spot for the Panthers (my brother was a fan of theirs before the Jets came back — we were born after the original Jets left town so grew up rooting for different teams) and I generally am wishing well for their fans because they haven’t had a ton of success lately. And Maurice seems like a real good person, so it kinda sucks to see him possibly already on his way out the door at a new job that he just uprooted his family for … but I am enjoying seeing his struggles afflicting a different organization for a change. Maurice should’ve been gone after the Blues series, but that’s on Chevy/True North, not him. But after the past three wasted years there’s something amusing about watching another franchise go through what we put up with

 

[DRW204]

I think the only question now with the Panthers is when is Paul Marie’s gonna get fired. if they lose to the Rangers tonight they are two games under 500 and almost 10 points out of a playoff spot.

All I can say is thank you for firing yourself.

 

[jiho]

All I can say is thank you for firing yourself.
View attachment 629798

Maurice was so bad. If Bowness was our coach the last four seasons I wonder how much playoff success we could of had?

 

[DRW204]

Maurice was so bad. If Bowness was our coach the last four seasons I wonder how much playoff success we could of had?

Probably 4 president trophies and Stanley cups

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Here’s how I see it.
I believe Paul did know and probably at some point did express doubts privately about getting more out of this roster.
I am thinking that because Chipman believed in him big time as friends do, Maurice soldiered on until there was no mistaking it wouldn’t work.
Most of us would do anything in our power to try to reward the faith put in us by those who support us through thick and thin.
Talk about pressure!
Wish Paul would have taken at least a year off.
Seems like an honourable person to me and it’s a shame what’s happening to him now.

I agree with that also. Despite his flaws, which I have criticized here, he always seemed very much like a good, decent person.

But the shadenfreude here isn't really about wishing Paul ill. It springs from the frustration of having know for 3-4 years that his shelf life here had expired. His troubles this year seem to confirm that opinion.

Exactly!

I wish he had gone directly back into TV. I think that is where he really belongs.

 

[Aggie204]

I wonder what happened. I always liked watching him play when I had a chance.

 

[bustamente]

I wonder what happened. I always liked watching him play when I had a chance.
View attachment 629810

Issues off the ice has derailed his career, to bad he would help the Jets more that the other waiver wire pickups.

 

[Aggie204]

Issues off the ice has derailed his career, to bad he would help the Jets more that the other waiver wire pickups.

I was thinking that, but maybe he requested to go back home. Just like Berdin after he was in the player assistance program.