Panthers Continue Winning Season with Paul Maurice Extension – Hockey Writers – Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers begin their season as Stanley Cup champions at the top of the Atlantic Division with a 5-3-1 record and 11 points. They trail the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, and Dallas Stars for the top spot in the NHL.

Speaking of the Jets, their former coach has made a name for himself in the media. On Tuesday, the Panthers announced that their head coach Paul Maurice has agreed to a new extension. The move was meant to happen because of his back-to-back Stanley Cup final appearance and helping lead the team to their first ever Stanley Cup.

Timeline of Paul Maurice in Florida

Maurice has decades of NHL experience behind the bench, which is why he was brought in as the head coach of the Panthers in 2022. After being swept in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team made the shocking decision to release Andrew. Brunette of his duties as interim head coach. This was a headache considering Maurice resigned from the Winnipeg Jets in the middle of the season and was unsure if he wanted to coach.

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Maurice would begin his tenure with the Panthers off to a slow start, going 16-17-4 before the start of 2023. He would take it and eventually help finish the team 42-32-8. By losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 11, the Panthers reached the postseason.

Their appearance that season would mark one of the team’s greatest runs in franchise history. In the first round, they upset the Boston Bruins, the team that had the best record in NHL history that season, with a series score of 4-3. In the second round, they eliminated a tough Toronto Maple Leafs team in five games. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they swept the leading team in the Metropolitan Division that season, the Carolina Hurricanes, giving the team their first Eastern Conference championship since 1996.

But the run ended brutally. The Cats dropped the Stanley Cup Finals to the Vegas Golden Knights by a 4-1 series. Injuries plagued the team and ultimately cost them the series. The team used it as a lesson for the upcoming season.

The Panthers finished last season with a record of 52-24-6 and 110 points, giving them their second Atlantic Division title in three years. They avenged their demons in the first round as they defeated their opponent under Mbane 4-1 in the points series. In the second round, they defeated Boston in consecutive postseasons, this time by a score of 4-2. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they were able to defeat the New York Rangers who won the President’s Trophy with a series score of 4-2, giving them another shot at history. It will be the second time in a row that the Panthers have won the President Trophy on the road.

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Despite the shock, as they nearly took a 3-0 lead in the series, the Panthers were able to capture their first ever Stanley Cup this past summer with a Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Since Maurice was hired two summers ago, he has a 99-59-15 regular season record during his time with the franchise, the most wins by a coach in franchise history with 29, and a 7-1 playoff series record. This added to his total of 873 wins, making it the fourth best in NHL history. He was a big part of the winning culture that was brought in to bring the team success.

He’s glad he was extended sooner rather than later, though.

“Thank you, and hopefully, I think the ink is dry on that,”

Paul Maurice in his latest extension after a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 22

Regardless of the outcome of their game against the Wild, the extension was well deserved, and marks the continuation of a winning season for the Panthers.