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Paul Maurice has seen it all during his near-30-year NHL head coaching career. So when he speaks in absolutes about something hockey-related, people are going to listen. The man who always seems to have a quip in his holster during a postgame press conference made a serious statement about his Florida Panthers, just days before they defend their throne against the Edmonton Oilers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
“I’m really careful and I’m not being disrespectful to the other teams I’ve coached, but the team here is just the best team I’ve ever coached,” Maurice said, per the Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson. “It’s not really that close.”
If you remove the last three seasons from Maurice's portfolio, he would still claim a top-10 spot on the all-time wins list and a 2002 Stanley Cup Final appearance. Those credentials inspired respect around the league. But Maurice has ascended into a completely different tier during his time with the Panthers. He inherited a roster that seized the Presidents' Trophy with 122 points and has successfully harnessed all of its talent.
After failing to win a game against the reigning champion Tampa Bay Lighting in the 2022 Eastern Conference Final, Florida upset a historically dominant Boston Bruins team and advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in Maurice's first year at the helm. The squad finished the job the following year, thwarting off a near-miraculous Edmonton comeback and delivering the franchise its first-ever championship. Fast forward to now, and the Panthers are a certified juggernaut.
They will collide with the Oilers once again, determined to keep the Cup in Sunrise. Under Maurice's leadership, this group has reached its full potential. He refuses to take a bow for the storied run, however, instead giving credit to Florida's vast talent reservoir.
“My experience, from the time I started getting off the phone [for introductions after being hired], was ‘This team is different and I can’t explain it,’” Paul Maurice said. “Now, I’m three years in, and I’m starting to understand it a little bit. I do not feel responsible for it. I don’t. It’s been fun to observe. But that’s why I don’t talk about it because I don’t think it’s comparative. ‘Oh, these guys are just a way better bunch of guys than I had before.’ It’s not that. These guys are different.”
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Panthers have ‘it,' and Paul Maurice is one of the reasons why
No Florida player eclipsed 85 points during the regular season (injuries did play a role). No skater has yet to reach 20 points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And yet, the Panthers have looked like the most complete hockey team over the last couple of weeks. Ten different guys have scored double-figures in points, epitomizing unity and sacrifice. Maurice is right. This is a truly unique powerhouse.
Florida captain Aleksander Barkov is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and the team has several other game-changers like Matthew Tkachuk, Sergei Bobrovsky, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe, but what makes this squad special is its elite toughness and depth. Maurice has had a firm hand in infusing those qualities into the locker room.
The veteran head coach needed the Panthers to enter all-time great conversations, and they needed him to become a borderline dynasty. This prolific pairing is not done yet, though. Their respective legacies can soar to even greater heights with another championship parade. Florida and Edmonton clash on Wednesday night at Rogers Place.
