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

[Board Bard]

Q&A: Paul Maurice on his love of reading and what his...

Q&A: Paul Maurice on his love of reading and what his players read when they’re not playing Fortnite

"At the risk of sounding uncool, the only gaming skills I own are in Super Mario or Tetris."

Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice goes even farther back and recalls playing Pong. So, it’s safe to say Maurice will not partake with his players in lengthy Fortnite battles on the team’s road trip to Helsinki, Finland.

Instead, when Maurice is not preparing for an upcoming game, you will likely catch him reading. A good book is the pastime of choice for Maurice and one he comes by naturally.

Maurice: "Honey, have you seen my book?"
Mrs. Maurice: "It's in the bathroom, dear."

 

[surixon]

Maurice needs to start doing a better job with his ice time distribution. If he can't figure out to get this team going it could be a long year. I personally still dislike his over all strategy to cycle and forecheck.

 

[Howard Chuck]

Maurice needs to start doing a better job with his ice time distribution. If he can't figure out to get this team going it could be a long year. I personally still dislike his over all strategy to cycle and forecheck.

I agree. I know a lot of people like the cycle but that just doesn’t seem to suit the particular talent we have.

 

[Jet]

We lost to friggin Vegas last year because of bad coaching and a stubborn captain.

No sir.

We lost to Vegas last year due to a tired team and goaltending. We needed a good backup to play more games in the regular season.

The whole team, Helle included looked spent in that series.

 

[surixon]

I agree. I know a lot of people like the cycle but that just doesn’t seem to suit the particular talent we have.

It suits the older vets but not so much our younger core which is why he runs it imo.

Scheifele and Connor are adaptable and can play multiple ways but Scheife is more effective attacking off the rush and I'd imagine Connor would be as well. Ehlers and Laine much better off the transition. Given all our speed and creativity our zone entries and attack off the rush is very dissapointing. It's also not that surprising given they weren't working on it much if at all in practice last year.

Imo he is still trying to build the team he wants then the team he has. We should be playing a speed and police movement type of game.

 

[paragon]

i not asking that
I'm not asking "do you score 80 goals and get sent to the ahl"
Im asking if he would benefit playing more minutes in the ahl

The kids in the ahl are developing fine

Kind of pointless question though. Even if he benefited from it, what would be the point? He's not going to learn anything there unless it is for a significant amount of time and that would make the Jets a worse team in the short term. Also a worse team in the long term because the disrespect would guarantee he makes a trade request or at least won't sign with the Jets for any significant amount of time.

 

[JetsFan815]

I agree. I know a lot of people like the cycle but that just doesn’t seem to suit the particular talent we have.

It suits the older vets but not so much our younger core which is why he runs it imo.

Scheifele and Connor are adaptable and can play multiple ways but Scheife is more effective attacking off the rush and I'd imagine Connor would be as well. Ehlers and Laine much better off the transition. Given all our speed and creativity our zone entries and attack off the rush is very dissapointing. It's also not that surprising given they weren't working on it much if at all in practice last year.

Imo he is still trying to build the team he wants then the team he has. We should be playing a speed and police movement type of game.

How else do you guys propose they generate offense? There are two teams on the ice, the other team can game plan against rush chances, there are not many other options if they other team is defending the rush well. If the other team isn't giving anything off the rush then you have to forecheck and cycle in the offensive zone to break their D-structure down.

 

[surixon]

How else do you guys propose they generate offense? There are two teams on the ice, the other team can game plan against rush chances, there are not many other options if they other team is defending the rush well. If the other team isn't giving anything off the rush then you have to forecheck and cycle in the offensive zone to break their D-structure down.

I don't have any issue with being able to cycle well. The problem is that it was 90% of the focus of the coaching staff in every practice I went to last year. This team should be more diverse in its attack. If a team game plans and prevents us getting the puck back in their end we have a hard time generating anything. We weren't very effective at generating offense off the rush last year and I would like to see that change as we haven't been nearly as effective on the cycle this year.

 

[KingBogo]

I don't have any issue with being able to cycle well. The problem is that it was 90% of the focus of the coaching staff in every practice I went to last year. This team should be more diverse in its attack. If a team game plans and prevents us getting the puck back in their end we have a hard time generating anything. We weren't very effective at generating offense off the rush last year and I would like to see that change as we haven't been nearly as effective on the cycle this year.

The rush is usually only effective when you have an odd man advantage. You either need to cheat for offense or have other teams make mistakes and give up opportunities. Teams that play team defense well give up very little in terms of high scoring chances off the rush. Against good teams being able to generate offense off the cycle can often make the difference between winning and losing.

 

[Peggy]

Kind of pointless question though. Even if he benefited from it, what would be the point? He's not going to learn anything there unless it is for a significant amount of time and that would make the Jets a worse team in the short term. Also a worse team in the long term because the disrespect would guarantee he makes a trade request or at least won't sign with the Jets for any significant amount of time.

Even if he benefits from what would be the point?
Well you just answered the question
He would benefit from it

I wouldve liked to see laine not be "rushed" but he can obviously score goals in the Nhl.

 

[Ducky10]

It suits the older vets but not so much our younger core which is why he runs it imo.

Scheifele and Connor are adaptable and can play multiple ways but Scheife is more effective attacking off the rush and I'd imagine Connor would be as well. Ehlers and Laine much better off the transition. Given all our speed and creativity our zone entries and attack off the rush is very dissapointing. It's also not that surprising given they weren't working on it much if at all in practice last year.

Imo he is still trying to build the team he wants then the team he has. We should be playing a speed and police movement type of game.

While there are times all teams need to cycle, I agree with you that they are leaning on it way too much. Far too much chip and chase for the speed and talent we have.

 

[Duke749]

Every coach makes mistakes and has their tendencies that they lean on too much, but I have not been a fan of how the line up has been handled all year. Most of that is concerns up front as Mo only has so much to work with on the backend. Although I’d love to see them take the reins off of Morrissey and just let him lose. This kid has Norris potential.

 

[wabagee]

No sir.

We lost to Vegas last year due to a tired team and goaltending. We needed a good backup to play more games in the regular season.

The whole team, Helle included looked spent in that series.

Holy late reply, Batman! The whole team was tired of Maurice.

 

[Mud Turtle]

I don’t understand why they always feel like they have to try and enter the zone in a straight line formation with each of them crossing the blue line at the same time.
Laine should be the trailer on the rush and a Simple drop pass to him - with the leading forwards providing a bit of a screen - would be absolutely deadly.

 

[tntkid]

After how well the Jets did last season we will probably be stuck with Maurice for another 10 years.

Jets management are way too loyal.

 

[Board Bard]

After how well the Jets did last season we will probably be stuck with Maurice for another 10 years.

Jets management are way too loyal.

Maurice talks like he knows he'll be here for years and years, like it's written in stone. Years and years of wastage.

 

[JetsFan815]

I don't have any issue with being able to cycle well. The problem is that it was 90% of the focus of the coaching staff in every practice I went to last year. This team should be more diverse in its attack. If a team game plans and prevents us getting the puck back in their end we have a hard time generating anything. We weren't very effective at generating offense off the rush last year and I would like to see that change as we haven't been nearly as effective on the cycle this year.

I just don't know how much you can do to generate better chances on the rush. The rush to me seems very dependent on how the other team is playing and less controllable by your team. Whereas the cycle is something largely in your control and if you execute it properly, you can open up holes in the other team's formation and generate chances. Additional benefit of the cycle and doing it well is the puck is kept out of your own zone.

I don't know how much of Jets offensive woes are down to cycle vs off the rush. One issue by my eyetest and I have not looked into the actual stats so I could be wrong here, is that the Jets are shooting way too much from the points without getting any tips on pucks and very often that kills their zone time or gives the defense time to regroup.

 

[JetsFan815]

I don’t understand why they always feel like they have to try and enter the zone in a straight line formation with each of them crossing the blue line at the same time.
Laine should be the trailer on the rush and a Simple drop pass to him - with the leading forwards providing a bit of a screen - would be absolutely deadly.

They also rarely crisscross lanes on entries... something I noticed the Panthers doing all the time.

 

[LowLefty]

After how well the Jets did last season we will probably be stuck with Maurice for another 10 years.

Jets management are way too loyal.

Agreed -
The way they reward success is starting to get on my nerves too

 

[LowLefty]

Maurice talks like he knows he'll be here for years and years, like it's written in stone. Years and years of wastage.

How does a coach talk when he doesn't want to be around?
I don't have anything against a coach who is confident - Maurice is winning games.
I don't necessarily agree with his idea of effective line distribution but I don't have a problem with his confidence or how he talks.

 

[surixon]

I just don't know how much you can do to generate better chances on the rush. The rush to me seems very dependent on how the other team is playing and less controllable by your team. Whereas the cycle is something largely in your control and if you execute it properly, you can open up holes in the other team's formation and generate chances. Additional benefit of the cycle and doing it well is the puck is kept out of your own zone.

I don't know how much of Jets offensive woes are down to cycle vs off the rush. One issue by my eyetest and I have not looked into the actual stats so I could be wrong here, is that the Jets are shooting way too much from the points without getting any tips on pucks and very often that kills their zone time or gives the defense time to regroup.

You answered your own question, they are very predictable entering off the rush. They attack in straight lines with the players parallel with each other. There is no misdirection, no crafty set plays or criss crossing to create confusion. They either button hook or work it into the corner and then cycle. They also have a tendency when they force NZ turnovers to regroup and then attack as a unit which allows the other team to get set.

It is really a shame too as a couple of years ago the team was deadly off the rush. Scheifele had some of the best micro stats in the league at creating offense off of controlled zone entries, Ehlers isn't far behind. Throw in Connor who was dynamite at it in College and the AHL, Laine Roslovic, Petan all of which are very good off the rush and it is a no brainier to me that this team if they practiced it and came up with some set plays would be much better at it. We also have a very mobile defense with a couple of great skaters with offensive ability in the system like Niku and Green who are terrific at joining the rush. The team and system is being geared around speed and skill so why aren't we tailoring our system to the strengths of the vast majority of of the system. Most of the up and coming young teams are dominant off the rush these days (Colorado, New Jersey, Toronto, Tampa etc.). Its a matter of practicing it and coming up with varied looks through the middle allowing our playmakers to get the puck in good positions to make plays in the ozone. If the rush isn't super successful we can always fall back on the cycle.

 

[Ducky10]

Chances off the rush are heavily dependent on your transition game, and the Jets transition game hasn't been very good at all.

I see the Jets weaving through the neutral zone a fair amount, Ehlers and Perreault do it a lot, as does Little. Laine has picked up that part of his game lately as well. They typically have depth in their attack for the most part. The biggest issue is it's just not getting started cleanly. It always perplexes me why the Jets use their weak side winger so infrequently breaking out on the rush. I've seen so many teams do this effectively against us. With our speed, it should be utilized more often.

We need more puck movers like Buff and Morrissey and less luggers like Myers and Chiarot.

This team is still going to be effective off the cycle and that is important, but it needs some new wrinkles through the middle and coming over the line.

 

[Halberdier]

After how well the Jets did last season we will probably be stuck with Maurice for another 10 years.

Jets management are way too loyal.

Hard to disagree looking at those contracts veterans have got.

That's respectable trait and feels right, but is also detrimental to the success.

 

[grieves]

Hard to disagree looking at those contracts veterans have got.

That's respectable trait and feels right, but is also detrimental to the success.

This is what I was thinking as well (from a position of low information of course). It's like they don't want to be rude. That wouldn't be very Canadian, eh!

But sometimes you gotta sacrifice, you can't be liked by everyone, and if you try, you will be respected by no-one.

Maurice is a very charismatic guy so I can believe he is well respected in the room and for sure he has absolute strengths as well. But he has to be better if the team wants to win. He has to face facts that his buddies may need to be moved around a bit, even if they don't like it.

He has to face the fact that the top line isn't all there when it comes to defense so probably not the best idea to send them out against the McDavid line etc. That's Lowry's job.

He needs to run things based on performance, not loyalty. That is how Stalin ran things and it wasn't so great for them either.

He's really funny though and quick on his feet. A reporter asked if the players are "jacked" for the game and Maurice IMMEDIATELY was woah let's not use that word (thinking that an international journalist would get it slightly wrong). I died on the spot. I couldn't stop laughing for a minute straight.

 

[Ducky10]

This is what I was thinking as well (from a position of low information of course). It's like they don't want to be rude. That wouldn't be very Canadian, eh!

But sometimes you gotta sacrifice, you can't be liked by everyone, and if you try, you will be respected by no-one.

Maurice is a very charismatic guy so I can believe he is well respected in the room and for sure he has absolute strengths as well. But he has to be better if the team wants to win. He has to face facts that his buddies may need to be moved around a bit, even if they don't like it.

He has to face the fact that the top line isn't all there when it comes to defense so probably not the best idea to send them out against the McDavid line etc. That's Lowry's job.

He needs to run things based on performance, not loyalty. That is how Stalin ran things and it wasn't so great for them either.

He's really funny though and quick on his feet. A reporter asked if the players are "jacked" for the game and Maurice IMMEDIATELY was woah let's not use that word (thinking that an international journalist would get it slightly wrong). I died on the spot. I couldn't stop laughing for a minute straight.

Stalin? The best analogy for Maurice's loyalty you could come up with is a vengeful, paranoid, murderous dictator?

Seriously?