Coach Discussion: Paul Maurice: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

[raideralex99]

Three candidates for GM of the year: McPhee, Chevy and Yzerman. If the Lightning beat the Golden Knights for the Stanley Cup, will Stevie Y win the award? Or should McPhee win regardless of the outcome?

Actually I don't think McPhee should even be in the picture. Who did he draft and developed?
Sweeney should have been the 3rd GM in that group just look how he rebuilt the Bruins so quickly with the draft.
Gallant should get the credit along with Fleury for Vegas's success.

 

[tntkid]

This happened to us for 4 games straight.

Basically dump and chase hockey for the Jets with a million turnovers.

VGK doesn't 'trap'. You're confusing neutral zone forecheck (trap) with general/offensive zone forcheck. Vegas kept forchecking even when they were up. They still carried the play for a lot of the 3rd period yesterday, Hellebuck had to make a few huge saves from cycle and ozone chances VGK generated despite having the lead and not being the desparate team. The save on Karlsson in the slot and Haula on the breakaway as examples.

They don't fall back into a trap and flip pucks out like Nashville does/did, they actually forecheck and try to breakout even if they are up. That's what makes them so damn hard to play against. They don't turtle and become passive like other teams.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

I know that there are people here who only like handing out praise. It is tough to be objective sometimes. It can be difficult when one realizes that maybe, just maybe our coaching staff is what is holding this team back. If you are one of those people, please feel free to stop reading here. Just put me on ignore. I am not here to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am going to tell it like I see it. Balls and strikes. I am not going to get into a back and forth emotional argument if you are not going to be open and rational. If you are willing to have a frank discussion, I am as well.

We just lost to a team that we should have beaten pretty handily from a player talent perspective. If you are in the camp that the Vegas roster is better than the Jets, then let's just agree to disagree now. If you realize that the Jets have the better roster, then it is time to apply some critical thinking to why we lost. It has nothing to do with horseshoes or destiny - sorry to be the one to break it to you. Horseshoes exist but not in the context of luck - they exist in protecting horse's hoofs. Destiny is a cool word, but there is no superpower expending energy in the universe tweaking the puck in a hockey game on planet earth to determine the outcome. No, the explanation is much more terrestrial.

Many of us were wondering - we have the best roster going into the playoffs, but can we win in spite of Maurice and his legacy of coaching mediocrity. We have the answer.

If Maurice can't win a conference final with this lineup against the Vegas lineup (I do admit that Vegas has probably the best coach in the league), I don't see Maurice ever winning the cup. I don't expect us to ever enter the post-season stronger than we did this year. This was as good as it gets for Paul Maurice. And using his words, 'it isn't even close'. If you have been paying attention over the last few weeks, you know what I am talking about in quoting Mo here.

Here it is guys - Maurice just isn't the guy to get it done. 'Move your feet/skate' and 'be quicker/quickness' is not the answer in all situations against any opponent / style of play. But that is really all he seems to know at this point in time. After all, it's all he said for the last three or four weeks. Zero adjustments to four straight losses is astonishingly bad for any hockey coach at any level. I think Noel was fired after a 5 game losing streak wasn't he? I guess Maurice is lucky that NHL playoffs are only 7 game series - can only lose 4 in a row.

But he was extended early unfortunately, so we are stuck with him now. I hate to see us waste this year and the next 2 or 3 while we are strong enough to have a chance. I wonder if it will take another early exit for Chevy to realize that we have to move on from Maurice if we want the big prize. Chevy has put the pieces together but we may end up just wasting them under Maurice. I sure hope not.

 

[surixon]

I know that there are people here who only like handing out praise. It is tough to be objective sometimes. It can be difficult when one realizes that maybe, just maybe our coaching staff is what is holding this team back. If you are one of those people, please feel free to stop reading here. Just put me on ignore. I am not here to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am going to tell it like I see it. Balls and strikes. I am not going to get into a back and forth emotional argument if you are not going to be open and rational. If you are willing to have a frank discussion, I am as well.

We just lost to a team that we should have beaten pretty handily from a player talent perspective. If you are in the camp that the Vegas roster is better than the Jets, then let's just agree to disagree now. If you realize that the Jets have the better roster, then it is time to apply some critical thinking to why we lost. It has nothing to do with horseshoes or destiny - sorry to be the one to break it to you. Horseshoes exist but not in the context of luck - they exist in protecting horse's hoofs. Destiny is a cool word, but there is no superpower expending energy in the universe tweaking the puck in a hockey game on planet earth to determine the outcome. No, the explanation is much more terrestrial.

Many of us were wondering - we have the best roster going into the playoffs, but can we win in spite of Maurice and his legacy of coaching mediocrity. We have the answer.

If Maurice can't win a conference final with this lineup against the Vegas lineup (I do admit that Vegas has probably the best coach in the league), I don't see Maurice ever winning the cup. I don't expect us to ever enter the post-season stronger than we did this year. This was as good as it gets for Paul Maurice. And using his words, 'it isn't even close'. If you have been paying attention over the last few weeks, you know what I am talking about in quoting Mo here.

Here it is guys - Maurice just isn't the guy to get it done. 'Move your feet/skate' and 'be quicker/quickness' is not the answer in all situations against any opponent / style of play. But that is really all he seems to know at this point in time. After all, it's all he said for the last three or four weeks. Zero adjustments to four straight losses is astonishingly bad for any hockey coach at any level. I think Noel was fired after a 5 game losing streak wasn't he? I guess Maurice is lucky that NHL playoffs are only 7 game series - can only lose 4 in a row.

But he was extended early unfortunately, so we are stuck with him now. I hate to see us waste this year and the next 2 or 3 while we are strong enough to have a chance. I wonder if it will take another early exit for Chevy to realize that we have to move on from Maurice if we want the big prize. Chevy has put the pieces together but we may end up just wasting them under Maurice. I sure hope not.

Did Maurice tell his team to shoot a dismal 4.8% at 5 on 5?

Simply put I don't know how you look at the numbers below and say luck didn't have anything to do with it. Here is how their numbers stack up against all the remaining teams this round:

Jets: 52.17 CF% close (Best)
Jets 5 on 5 Shot % 4.8% (worst)
Jets 5 on 5 save % .896 (worst)
Jets PDO 94.5 (that is unsustainable bad luck)

Vegas on the flip side got dominated with regards to shot attempts but scored on an unsustainable 10.4% of their even strength shots. They also got unsustainable .952 5 on 5 save percentage. Giving Vegas a 105.5 PDO uncharacteristic good percentages.

Simply put we ran into a team with red hot goaltending that also scoring on an abnormal percentage of their shots.

Sometimes you can outplay teams but not win due to factors you can't control as a coach.

 

[Mud Turtle]

VGK doesn't 'trap'. You're confusing neutral zone forecheck (trap) with general/offensive zone forcheck. Vegas kept forchecking even when they were up. They still carried the play for a lot of the 3rd period yesterday, Hellebuck had to make a few huge saves from cycle and ozone chances VGK generated despite having the lead and not being the desparate team. The save on Karlsson in the slot and Haula on the breakaway as examples.

They don't fall back into a trap and flip pucks out like Nashville does/did, they actually forecheck and try to breakout even if they are up. That's what makes them so damn hard to play against. They don't turtle and become passive like other teams.

Isn’t that the exact style of play that made the Jets so good this year? Relentless forecheck and pressure on the puck all the time?
So how did Vegas turn the table on us? Are they more talented? Faster?

 

[Mud Turtle]

Paul is not getting fired this summer, albeit part of the reason why we lost vs LV was Paul got out coached. But nevertheless he got us to the final four.....that’s damn good

Or did Chevy and the scouts get us to the final four with the talent they assembled?

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

Did Maurice tell his team to shoot a dismal 4.8% at 5 on 5?

Simply put I don't know how you look at the numbers below and say luck didn't have anything to do with it. Here is how their numbers stack up against all the remaining teams this round:

Jets: 52.17 CF% close (Best)
Jets 5 on 5 Shot % 4.8% (worst)
Jets 5 on 5 save % .896 (worst)
Jets PDO 94.5 (that is unsustainable bad luck)

Vegas on the flip side got dominated with regards to shot attempts but scored on an unsustainable 10.4% of their even strength shots. They also got unsustainable .952 5 on 5 save percentage.

Simply put we ran into a team with red hot goaltending that also scoring on an abnormal percentage of their shots.

Sometimes you can outplay teams but not win due to factors you can't control as a coach.

I think that some people are so focussed on stats, they don't watch the hockey games. Not saying that you are one of those people. I am saying I look at stats and I look at the details of the games - the play on the ice. If you just look at stats there are games against Nashville we shouldn't have won. There is more to the game than what the stats show.

I don't want Maurice wasting time on factors that he can't control as a coach. But I would have liked to see him do something / anything regarding the factors that he does control.

 

[raideralex99]

Isn’t that the exact style of play that made the Jets so good this year? Relentless forecheck and pressure on the puck all the time?
So how did Vegas turn the table on us? Are they more talented? Faster?

Here's the problem ... it's a game of inches. The last 2 Vegas game winning goals both went off the post and in. How many times did the Jets hit the post? How many times did the Jets shoot wide trying for the perfect shot. Both of Laine's goals were basically shot at the middle of the net and both went in off MAF. They would have scored more goals if they just shot a Fluery.
Seriously no sense in going over it and over it ... the Jets lost. I bet if you ask any hockey fan they would rather have the Jets team than the Vegas team. Just like Helly said ... the stars aligned for Vegas.

 

[tbcwpg]

I think that some people are so focussed on stats, they don't watch the hockey games. Not saying that you are one of those people. I am saying I look at stats and I look at the details of the games - the play on the ice. If you just look at stats there are games against Nashville we shouldn't have won. There is more to the game than what the stats show.

I don't want Maurice wasting time on factors that he can't control as a coach. But I would have liked to see him do something / anything regarding the factors that he does control.

I think people are quick to pass off players turnovers and effort (or lack of it) as "coaching". It's an easy scapegoat when a team doesn't perform as expected. People are acting like Vegas got a bye all the way to round 3 and it's some surprise that they beat the Jets, when they swept the Kings allowing 3 goals and handled the Sharks pretty easily in 6. They finished top of the Pacific. They weren't some scrub team.

 

[surixon]

I think that some people are so focussed on stats, they don't watch the hockey games. Not saying that you are one of those people. I am saying I look at stats and I look at the details of the games - the play on the ice. If you just look at stats there are games against Nashville we shouldn't have won. There is more to the game than what the stats show.

I don't want Maurice wasting time on factors that he can't control as a coach. But I would have liked to see him do something / anything regarding the factors that he does control.

I am not just focusing on the stats. Visably I saw our goalie let in a number of awful goals, their goalie come up with a substantial amount of saves. I also saw a team that got a high number of favorable bounces. I saw a team that was only outplayed in one position the goalie one.

Also our and Nashville's underlying stats were pretty comparible. They dominated us in game one and Helle stole the victory. The rest of the series we had a significant edge in in the stats. Not sure where you are getting info that the Preds where better.

 

[Hunter368]

Or did Chevy and the scouts get us to the final four with the talent they assembled?

GM & scouts provide the players/prospects....the coach mold/direct them into a meaningful way to become the best they can become.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

I think people are quick to pass off players turnovers and effort (or lack of it) as "coaching". It's an easy scapegoat when a team doesn't perform as expected. People are acting like Vegas got a bye all the way to round 3 and it's some surprise that they beat the Jets, when they swept the Kings allowing 3 goals and handled the Sharks pretty easily in 6. They finished top of the Pacific. They weren't some scrub team.

True. You will typically turn it over if you are passing it to a guy that is already there or then skating into two to three opposing players collapsing on them. Might want to employ changes in order to counter the system that they put in place to generate turnovers.

 

[Eyeseeing]

I know that there are people here who only like handing out praise. It is tough to be objective sometimes. It can be difficult when one realizes that maybe, just maybe our coaching staff is what is holding this team back. If you are one of those people, please feel free to stop reading here. Just put me on ignore. I am not here to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am going to tell it like I see it. Balls and strikes. I am not going to get into a back and forth emotional argument if you are not going to be open and rational. If you are willing to have a frank discussion, I am as well.

We just lost to a team that we should have beaten pretty handily from a player talent perspective. If you are in the camp that the Vegas roster is better than the Jets, then let's just agree to disagree now. If you realize that the Jets have the better roster, then it is time to apply some critical thinking to why we lost. It has nothing to do with horseshoes or destiny - sorry to be the one to break it to you. Horseshoes exist but not in the context of luck - they exist in protecting horse's hoofs. Destiny is a cool word, but there is no superpower expending energy in the universe tweaking the puck in a hockey game on planet earth to determine the outcome. No, the explanation is much more terrestrial.

Many of us were wondering - we have the best roster going into the playoffs, but can we win in spite of Maurice and his legacy of coaching mediocrity. We have the answer.

If Maurice can't win a conference final with this lineup against the Vegas lineup (I do admit that Vegas has probably the best coach in the league), I don't see Maurice ever winning the cup. I don't expect us to ever enter the post-season stronger than we did this year. This was as good as it gets for Paul Maurice. And using his words, 'it isn't even close'. If you have been paying attention over the last few weeks, you know what I am talking about in quoting Mo here.

Here it is guys - Maurice just isn't the guy to get it done. 'Move your feet/skate' and 'be quicker/quickness' is not the answer in all situations against any opponent / style of play. But that is really all he seems to know at this point in time. After all, it's all he said for the last three or four weeks. Zero adjustments to four straight losses is astonishingly bad for any hockey coach at any level. I think Noel was fired after a 5 game losing streak wasn't he? I guess Maurice is lucky that NHL playoffs are only 7 game series - can only lose 4 in a row.

But he was extended early unfortunately, so we are stuck with him now. I hate to see us waste this year and the next 2 or 3 while we are strong enough to have a chance. I wonder if it will take another early exit for Chevy to realize that we have to move on from Maurice if we want the big prize. Chevy has put the pieces together but we may end up just wasting them under Maurice. I sure hope not.

I can agree with much of this especially us having a better roster.... but we simply looked gassed.
Not sure how to assign responsibility to Maurice.
In retrospect perhaps we should have rested more players down the stretch?
In any case Maurice earned the right to coach again... I mean who in their right mind is going to fire a coach whose team earned 114 points.
I think valuable lessons have been learned

 

[tbcwpg]

True. You will typically turn it over if you are passing it to a guy that is already there or then skating into two to three opposing players collapsing on them. Might want to employ changes in order to counter the system that they put in place to generate turnovers.

I think it's a little short sighted to blame turnovers on the coaching system than the player. It wasn't the system that caused Morrissey's turnover. Responding to an aggressive forecheck requires more than just a coaching system, it also requires players to be able to execute. The Jets couldn't execute well enough.

Just blaming the coach absolves the players from blame and I don't buy that.

 

[Ducky10]

True. You will typically turn it over if you are passing it to a guy that is already there or then skating into two to three opposing players collapsing on them. Might want to employ changes in order to counter the system that they put in place to generate turnovers.

Coaches don't make decisions on the ice. Truth is you have no clue what the Jets were trying to do to counter act Vegas, or how well they executed it. Not too mention, it wasn't even the story of the series anyway, just a convenient talking point.

 

[Ducky10]

I know that there are people here who only like handing out praise. It is tough to be objective sometimes. It can be difficult when one realizes that maybe, just maybe our coaching staff is what is holding this team back. If you are one of those people, please feel free to stop reading here. Just put me on ignore. I am not here to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am going to tell it like I see it. Balls and strikes. I am not going to get into a back and forth emotional argument if you are not going to be open and rational. If you are willing to have a frank discussion, I am as well.

We just lost to a team that we should have beaten pretty handily from a player talent perspective. If you are in the camp that the Vegas roster is better than the Jets, then let's just agree to disagree now. If you realize that the Jets have the better roster, then it is time to apply some critical thinking to why we lost. It has nothing to do with horseshoes or destiny - sorry to be the one to break it to you. Horseshoes exist but not in the context of luck - they exist in protecting horse's hoofs. Destiny is a cool word, but there is no superpower expending energy in the universe tweaking the puck in a hockey game on planet earth to determine the outcome. No, the explanation is much more terrestrial.

Many of us were wondering - we have the best roster going into the playoffs, but can we win in spite of Maurice and his legacy of coaching mediocrity. We have the answer.

If Maurice can't win a conference final with this lineup against the Vegas lineup (I do admit that Vegas has probably the best coach in the league), I don't see Maurice ever winning the cup. I don't expect us to ever enter the post-season stronger than we did this year. This was as good as it gets for Paul Maurice. And using his words, 'it isn't even close'. If you have been paying attention over the last few weeks, you know what I am talking about in quoting Mo here.

Here it is guys - Maurice just isn't the guy to get it done. 'Move your feet/skate' and 'be quicker/quickness' is not the answer in all situations against any opponent / style of play. But that is really all he seems to know at this point in time. After all, it's all he said for the last three or four weeks. Zero adjustments to four straight losses is astonishingly bad for any hockey coach at any level. I think Noel was fired after a 5 game losing streak wasn't he? I guess Maurice is lucky that NHL playoffs are only 7 game series - can only lose 4 in a row.

But he was extended early unfortunately, so we are stuck with him now. I hate to see us waste this year and the next 2 or 3 while we are strong enough to have a chance. I wonder if it will take another early exit for Chevy to realize that we have to move on from Maurice if we want the big prize. Chevy has put the pieces together but we may end up just wasting them under Maurice. I sure hope not.

The only point you've made here is maybe, just maybe the coaching staff is holding the Jets back because we didn't win, what else could it be?

I know you're not new to hockey, so I know it won't come as a surprise to you that the Jets aren't the first more talented roster to lose to a less talented roster.

The only issue I have with this is the complete generalities you use to make your point, without any knowledge about what the Jets might have been trying to do. The truth is the Jets outplayed Vegas for large portions of the series, but the narrative somehow becomes the coaching staff couldn't figure them out. It's hilarious.

I've been critical of Maurice in many areas before, you simply lay anything that goes wrong at his feet, you're not objective in the least.

Tell us, what changes should Maurice specifically have employed that would have changed the outcome and why would they have worked?

This series wasn't lost on coaching tactics, no matter how grandly and matter of factly you state it to be that way.

 

[JetsFan815]

People who want Maurice out should just accept that he is not going anywhere anytime soon, it will make it easier for them to enjoy the Jets with that expectation set appropriately.

Jets were one of the best teams this year in the underlying stats and in the win loss record. They were elite in the Corsi and the Scorsi . Some might say it's because of all that talent he had at his disposal, sure, but there are many coaches in the league who would get in the way of that talent and not get the results with it that Maurice got. I have my nitpicks with some of his decisions (mainly his love for Matt Hendricks) but overall I think he did a great job and earned the right to get a few kicks at the can with this group. I look forward to seeing where he can take this group.

 

[Ducky10]

Just so I have this straight.

Jets win>players good
Jets lose>Maurice sucks.

That about right?

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

I know that there are people here who only like handing out praise. It is tough to be objective sometimes. It can be difficult when one realizes that maybe, just maybe our coaching staff is what is holding this team back. If you are one of those people, please feel free to stop reading here. Just put me on ignore. I am not here to hurt anyone's feelings, but I am going to tell it like I see it. Balls and strikes. I am not going to get into a back and forth emotional argument if you are not going to be open and rational. If you are willing to have a frank discussion, I am as well.

We just lost to a team that we should have beaten pretty handily from a player talent perspective. If you are in the camp that the Vegas roster is better than the Jets, then let's just agree to disagree now. If you realize that the Jets have the better roster, then it is time to apply some critical thinking to why we lost. It has nothing to do with horseshoes or destiny - sorry to be the one to break it to you. Horseshoes exist but not in the context of luck - they exist in protecting horse's hoofs. Destiny is a cool word, but there is no superpower expending energy in the universe tweaking the puck in a hockey game on planet earth to determine the outcome. No, the explanation is much more terrestrial.

Many of us were wondering - we have the best roster going into the playoffs, but can we win in spite of Maurice and his legacy of coaching mediocrity. We have the answer.

If Maurice can't win a conference final with this lineup against the Vegas lineup (I do admit that Vegas has probably the best coach in the league), I don't see Maurice ever winning the cup. I don't expect us to ever enter the post-season stronger than we did this year. This was as good as it gets for Paul Maurice. And using his words, 'it isn't even close'. If you have been paying attention over the last few weeks, you know what I am talking about in quoting Mo here.
.

I feel simpler for reading this post, not simpler in a good way either.

Lol, if by many you are referring to you and a couple of other like minded posters in this forum, then you are being accurate. The majority of posters, fans and media type would laugh at your analyses.

Your post above is complete rubbish. Your theory that Maurice is an incompetent coach based on not getting to a Stanley Cup final, is moronic to be honest. I am pretty sure had we made it to the finals and lost, you would have refurbished your silly post to state failing to win the cup as evidence he is a poor coach.

Anyways, thanks for the laugh, and carry on with your cause, as lost as it is.

 

[Maukkis]

Just so I have this straight.

Jets win>players good
Jets lose>Maurice sucks.

That about right?

You missed 'everyone over the age of 26' after Maurice, but other than that, bang on.

Maurice changed things this year, and it paid off big time. With the system we had last year, we are nowhere near the President's, WCF or, f***ing hell, even respectability. Instead, we got this defensive style of play, which greatly improved our team. Then the team gets PDOd in the third round of the playoffs, and we're back to square one. Delightful.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

I feel simpler for reading this post, not simpler in a good way either.

Lol, if by many you are referring to you and a couple of other like minded posters in this forum, then you are being accurate. The majority of posters, fans and media type would laugh at your analyses.

Your post above is complete rubbish. Your theory that Maurice is an incompetent coach based on not getting to a Stanley Cup final, is moronic to be honest. I am pretty sure had we made it to the finals and lost, you would have refurbished your silly post to state failing to win the cup as evidence he is a poor coach.

Anyways, thanks for the laugh, and carry on with your cause, as lost as it is.

When people question Maurice's abilities, your go to is to just hurl personal insults. Maybe you guys are related, idk. But I feel sorry for you.

Let's just agree to disagree. You think Maurice is great. I don't. Fine, let's move on.

 

[thegr8one66]

The only point you've made here is maybe, just maybe the coaching staff is holding the Jets back because we didn't win, what else could it be?

I know you're not new to hockey, so I know it won't come as a surprise to you that the Jets aren't the first more talented roster to lose to a less talented roster.

The only issue I have with this is the complete generalities you use to make your point, without any knowledge about what the Jets might have been trying to do. The truth is the Jets outplayed Vegas for large portions of the series, but the narrative somehow becomes the coaching staff couldn't figure them out. It's hilarious.

I've been critical of Maurice in many areas before, you simply lay anything that goes wrong at his feet, you're not objective in the least.

Tell us, what changes should Maurice specifically have employed that would have changed the outcome and why would they have worked?

This series wasn't lost on coaching tactics, no matter how grandly and matter of factly you state it to be that way.

Lol. I'll play your game. Anaytics are so over-hyped in hockey. PIT had the worst stats of all 16 playoff teams last year and won the Cup defying analytics. Jetfaninflorida obviously has been seeing what's happening out there in the playoffs for us....seems like a lot of people on here don't. They focus on stats and that we're the better team, when in fact from the eye-test, we're not. Vegas plays the best team game I've ever witnessed in the NHL.

1. Maurice has been 3 games slow on line-up changes (inserting faster, more effective players for slower veterans).
2. Vegas figured us out after Game 1. Maurice still has no clue why we lost. He had no response to a single goal deficit in 4 straight games. He can not motivate our team to come out fired up and sustain it for a single game (yes, good coaches should make you able to run through a brick wall for them...he does not possess this).
3. He could've changed up our strategies on the PP (simply by putting Buff in front to cause havoc for Fleury).
4. He could've changed up our system of having someone actually in front of their net to screen their goalie (who saw probably 99% of our shots).
5. He had us playing tentative, and sitting back this series....not aggressive which made us successful all season.
6. Maybe our top 2 lines were running out of steam a bit this series because Maurice can't roll 4 lines like the expansion team that just whooped us and they were sluggish.

Bottom line is he doesn't give us the best chance to win due to his refusal to make in-game/series adjustments. Imagine if we had Gallant as our coach with this roster?! We'd be unbeatable. Paul Maurice is the NHL record holder for most losses in NHL history for a reason. Good guy. Funny and smart. Just not a winner (and yes, I believe another coach could've done this well with this roster).

 

[Farmboy Patty]

The only point you've made here is maybe, just maybe the coaching staff is holding the Jets back because we didn't win, what else could it be?

I know you're not new to hockey, so I know it won't come as a surprise to you that the Jets aren't the first more talented roster to lose to a less talented roster.

The only issue I have with this is the complete generalities you use to make your point, without any knowledge about what the Jets might have been trying to do. The truth is the Jets outplayed Vegas for large portions of the series, but the narrative somehow becomes the coaching staff couldn't figure them out. It's hilarious.

I've been critical of Maurice in many areas before, you simply lay anything that goes wrong at his feet, you're not objective in the least.

Tell us, what changes should Maurice specifically have employed that would have changed the outcome and why would they have worked?

This series wasn't lost on coaching tactics, no matter how grandly and matter of factly you state it to be that way.

We lost this series because Helley played bad and Fleury played good. Maybe this was the learning experience he and the whole team needed for future runs at the cup. We'll be back stronger (physically and more important, mentally), faster and smarter next season.

 

[Ducky10]

Lol. I'll play your game. Anaytics are so over-hyped in hockey. PIT had the worst stats of all 16 playoff teams last year and won the Cup defying analytics. Jetfaninflorida obviously has been seeing what's happening out there in the playoffs for us....seems like a lot of people on here don't. They focus on stats and that we're the better team, when in fact from the eye-test, we're not. Vegas plays the best team game I've ever witnessed in the NHL.

1. Maurice has been 3 games slow on line-up changes (inserting faster, more effective players for slower veterans). More effective players? Give me a break. This is one of the lamest tropes out there. Yeah, Roslo playing more and Dano playing at all was the difference. And we're the ones not watching.
2. Vegas figured us out after Game 1. Maurice still has no clue why we lost. He had no response to a single goal deficit in 4 straight games. He can not motivate our team to come out fired up and sustain it for a single game (yes, good coaches should make you able to run through a brick wall for them...he does not possess this). What did they figure out, how to out goalie us? Motivation? Yeah motivation to score a goal was a real problem. Listen to any player on the Jets talk about Maurice, they love playing for him and are fully committed, a blind person can see that. Nice try though, more unsubstantiated claim.
3. He could've changed up our strategies on the PP (simply by putting Buff in front to cause havoc for Fleury). PP is on the players, they make the decisions. Plenty of opportunities to score, simply didn't convert. Blaming the coach is a losers game, we have more than enough weapons to get a couple.
4. He could've changed up our system of having someone actually in front of their net to screen their goalie (who saw probably 99% of our shots). Again, not paying attention, despite claiming you were. After game 3 the Jets started putting more of an emphasis on having traffic around the net and coming from down low. They also were focused on positioning a player in the middle of the slot for redirects off of some slap passes into the middle. That was them trying to beat Fleury or create some second chances. Vegas defended well and did a very good job boxing out.
5. He had us playing tentative, and sitting back this series....not aggressive which made us successful all season. Complete BS, the Jets pinched their D and played their gaps as they normally did. Facts are there were times the Jets simply weren't playing at a fast enough pace and I think it was evident they were fatigued. Yet they still remained in every game.
6. Maybe our top 2 lines were running out of steam a bit this series because Maurice can't roll 4 lines like the expansion team that just whooped us and they were sluggish. Maurice did a great job rolling his lines this playoffs, down a goal or two you see the genius that is Gallant, or any coach for that matter, do the exact same thing. If Mo didn't, guys like you would be out in full force as to why he didn't shorten his bench.

Bottom line is he doesn't give us the best chance to win due to his refusal to make in-game/series adjustments. Imagine if we had Gallant as our coach with this roster?! We'd be unbeatable. Paul Maurice is the NHL record holder for most losses in NHL history for a reason. Good guy. Funny and smart. Just not a winner (and yes, I believe another coach could've done this well with this roster).
Series has nothing to do with adjustments, just like the Preds series. The effort level was there, the structure was there, the goaltending, luck and energy levels ultimately were not. Gallant with this roster? Lol, you think Maurice is bad? You know nothing of Gallant clearly. Believe what you want, I doubt another coach does anymore than 114 points and a WCF with a team that hadn't made the playoffs in 3 years. That's your bias talking, clearly.

This isn't an analytical take, the eye test backs in up. with most people anyway.

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

When people question Maurice's abilities, your go to is to just hurl personal insults. Maybe you guys are related, idk. But I feel sorry for you.

Let's just agree to disagree. You think Maurice is great. I don't. Fine, let's move on.

Problem is you are not questioning anything, you are making grand proclamations based off of poor evidence. Your theory has so many holes to it, there is no use even beginning to break it apart, as its endless.

When you ignore the following:

- 2nd best record in the NHL through 82 games
- Tops in PP, PK, defensive and offensive stats, across the league.
- Improved play by all of our 25 and younger players
- Coached the best seasons from Wheeler and Buff, both playing at all star levels.
- Knocked out the best team in the NHL and defending Cup finalists from post season.
- Coached us easily past the Wild, making quick work of them
- Out coached Boudreau and Laviolette, 2 of the better coaches in the league.
- Each player in the locker room would vouch for his coaching abilities, and would go through walls for him
- The exact type of coach you want for a young dynamic team like ours, top end communication, understands how to get the most from each individual.

So, ya, not only do I disagree with your simplistic analyses, that since he only coached the Winnipeg Jets to a conference final, 3 wins away from a final, the furthest this city has ever seen its team go, that he failed us, lol, then not only do I disagree, I can adamantly state you are completely out to lunch.

Like I said, had he gotten us to the finals and lost, you would have posted the same crap. You were just waiting for the first failure to happen, then try to spin it that Maurice failed us. Its very transparent, and funny part is, you are arguing against the absolute best success this organization has ever achieved, and trying to tell us someone failed in this.

No one did, only fail is your post.