The Moose got swept because Comrie is a brutal goaltender. You would know that if you actually watched hockey.
If you don't think Niku and Lemieux were better options than some of the players Maurice put in the lineup then I'm not sure what else to tell you.
Maurice is almost as bad as Babcock when it comes to playing underperforming veterans instead of younger deserving players. He might even have gotten away with it if Hellebuyck hadn't crapped the bed Pavelec-style.
Misconception. Maurice has granted huge minutes, roles and responsibility to rookies and sophomores in the last several years. Connor, Laine, Ehlers, and even Roslovic all spent time on the first line. Connor is still on it. Bucky is our starter instead of Mason, etc. Morrissey, Scheifs etc. He's effectively handed over the reins to the youngsters.
So you've watched a few Moose games. That's awesome. For sure that makes you a better evaluation of NHL talent than a professional coach (team of coaches actually) who watch games at ice-level, practices with these guys, reviews tape with them, travels with them, and interacts with them on a nearly daily basis. That he worked with to attain 52 wins, 114 pts, and 2 playoff series wins.
Lining up the tired, old 'expert' fan tropes on how 'we should have won this':
- Should have 'played heavy' and hit more. That's always a good one. Course hitting doesn't always correlate to winning; it usually means you didn't have as much possession, but who cares? It sounds good. Eddie Shore, old-time hockey...
- Should have 'changed strategies'. That's my favorite. 'He didn't change strategies so that's why we lost'. Can't say exactly what strategy. Nebulous at best, and it totally exonerates individual performances.
- Should have 'given the young guys a chance'. Because a good AHL player can instantly transition to their NHL affiliate and have the same or greater success, right? Because they are young superstars who are being held back; any dummy should see they should be inserted into the NHL playoffs against elite 110+ pt division-winning teams without a problem. Don't even need a practice. And the conference finals is usually the best time to do it.
For the record I really like Niku. But saying Maurice is a bad coach because of the tropes above, and that he didn't play apparent superstar Brendan Lemieux is ridiculous.