After coaching the Winnipeg Jets for around nine seasons, Paul Maurice took a six-month break from December 2021 to June 2022 before signing with the Florida Panthers. Maurice implied that the Jets may have already peaked with him as the leading voice in the locker room, and he also alluded to the fact that he began to lose his love for the game amid the tough circumstances brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maurice, according to ESPN, said that he started not enjoying coming to the rink, and that he was starting to “lose” some of the passion he had for the game, which put a ceiling on just how good of a coach he thought he could be. But clearly, the six months of rest did Maurice a world of good, as his Panthers, despite losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, made it farther than most pundits thought they would.

The Panthers' deep playoff run, led by Matthew Tkachuk, has rejuvenated Paul Maurice's passion for the sport, which only bodes well for their chances of perhaps avenging their heartbreaking defeat to the Golden Knights.

“I love these guys. They gave me a great year of my life,” Maurice said, while also stating that coaching the Panthers this past season was “profession-affirming”, per Ryan S. Clark of ESPN.

Of course, it helped that the Panthers were already a contending team before Paul Maurice arrived. The Panthers tallied 122 points last year, but they definitely missed the stability Jonathan Huberdeau provided. But that trade certainly paid dividends after Matthew Tkachuk tallied 24 points in 20 playoff games with the Panthers being +12 in his time on the ice.

Maurice's experience also allowed the Panthers to advance deeper than they did in the previous three seasons despite having the worst win percentage during that span.

Simply put, the relationship between Paul Maurice and the Panthers has definitely been a fruitful one. Maurice managed to squeeze every ounce of contribution from members of the Panthers roster to allow them to become more than the sum of their parts in the playoffs. And who knows, maybe in 2024, it's their time to break through and win it all.