Paul Maurice’s Special Teams Woes Haunt the Florida Panthers

Saturday night, the Florida Panthers were embarrassed by the Carolina Hurricanes, especially when it came to special teams. This sparked many reactions over social media. These reactions included many fans taking to Twitter and Instagram comment sections to make their voices heard. The blame is also largely being put on Paul Maurice and the coaching staff. This begs the question of how Paul Maurice’s teams have performed in the past. As well as how production has shifted from the players from last year to now.

The Florida Panthers Coaching Staff

Of course, there are many positions in a team’s coaching but on the bench are four men. Head coach Paul Maurice, assistant coach Jamie Kompon, assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre, and assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu. Paul Maurice is a veteran of the game, having coached 18 full seasons as an NHL head coach. Next, Jamie Kompon was an assistant coach for much of Maurice’s tenure in Winnipeg. Following Kompon, Sylvain Lefebvre enters an NHL bench again for the first time since 2012. Finally, Tuomo Ruutu is the only coach in his second year in Florida. Ruutu also played for Paul Maurice for three seasons in Carolina. It is not clear, however, which coaches are directly in charge of the power play and penalty kill units. Despite this, Paul Maurice’s coaching history can give some insight to those woes.

Paul Maurice

Maurice has seen five stints around the league as head coach, including two in Carolina, one in Toronto, Winnipeg, and now in Florida. During these years, he only reached the cup final once. That was the 2001-02 season, when his power play unit was 12th and penalty kill 20th. However, the year after, his special teams unit hit a steep decline and they missed the playoffs. The next season, he would be fired, and the year after the Hurricanes would claim their first cup. Was Paul Maurice deterring their cup chances? They were able to make a quick turnaround to success as soon as he was gone.

In his 18 full seasons as head coach, both of Paul Maurice’s special teams have performed under the league average five times. As of right now, in his 19th season, it is the sixth such occasion. 44% of seasons, his power play has underperformed, and 56% of seasons his penalty kill has underperformed. Only five seasons, though, have both units performed above league average. Paul Maurice’s teams on average have performed right down the middle when it comes to special teams.

The years that he was either fired or resigned were years that the special teams took a step back. These included steep setbacks last year and in the 2011-12 season, ending his last two stints. Last season, Paul Maurice’s power play dropped 3% while his penalty kill saw an 11% decline. Compared to last season’s Florida team, once again, Maurice is turning a team in the wrong direction. The Panthers enjoyed a successful 24.4 PP% and a 79.5 PK% under Andrew Brunette last season. This season, sees a different story with a 19.1 PP% and a 75.5 PK%. That is a total decline of 9.3% on the special teams which is inexcusable.

Player Personnel

No doubt about it, the Matthew Tkachuk trade shook up operations in Sunrise. However, 15 players return from last years roster to now. In the Tkachuk trade, Florida lost 41 power play points in Weegar and Huberdeau, but return 29 in Tkachuk. This year, Calgary has 10 power play points from the duo, while Florida has 15 alone from what they received (Tkachuk). That combats that argument. And when it comes to the penalty kill, nobody involved in the trade appear on either teams penalty kill, according to Daily Faceoff. Of course there could be better support around the Panthers core but the issue is not on the players.

What Now?

Andrew Brunette had his occasional problems, but he also was a finalist for coach of the year. Why the Panthers cut him loose is baffling, and now they might not even make the playoffs with Paul Maurice. The roster quality is there for a playoff push. It is just a matter of how the coaching staff applies that quality. Will Bill Zito have to search for a midseason replacement? That is up to Florida’s management.

Here is what is truly known. Florida enters 2023 eight points out of a playoff spot and sixth in the wild card race. They still have 45 games to play and there is plenty of time for this season to be saved. However, to save the season, the special teams need to start performing above, or at least close to the league average.