The Paul Maurice effect…
Some discussion on the ever active and completely accurate Twitter ( I kid I kid) had some viewpoints around what kind of effect Paul Maurice will have on the Winnipeg Jets. For many Jets fans the addition of Maurice will be seen as a positive step but does that mean he alone can bring in more wins than previous coaching regime under Claude Noel.
The guys over at
Arctic Ice Hockey have produced some great work on various trends between the team under Noel and the remainder of the season under Maurice.
Garret Hohl has definitely had the data pinned down and if you are interested give him a tweet and he can produce the graphs- fascinating stuff.
This is not about taking statistical look at what Maurice can do rather using some simple questions to look at discussion. Before those questions let’s at least look at what information we have right now about what Paul Maurice will do that is different than Claude Noel.
Fitness/Training Camp
Accountability/Rules
Defense Restructuring
Goaltending.
The above things are based around comments, interviews and more that Maurice provided before leaving and then returning for the summer with his family. I have put them in the order above for a reason as I think one leads to the other in a logical sense and chronologically too.
Fitness/Training Camp
Maurice laid down the gauntlet near the end of the season and on the day before a meaningless game (for the Jets at least) against Boston he gave them a bag skate like none they had ever seen. Injured captain Andrew Ladd came out and joined his crew even though he would not be playing. After the practice Maurice said that’s the kind of fitness level he expects from the team from the start of the season. He elaborated on the importance and how it can take time, not just a summer off for a team to reach the level he feels the Jets need to be at.
The bar has been raised and it won’t be low at training camp. Players are expected to arrive ready to compete and play at the fitness level Maurice wants. Unlike past seasons one could assume Maurice wants a very structured and specific camp as he has some changes to makes. He has had months to work with coaches and the organization to examine the players, the games along with doing an in depth SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). There will be no time to go up and down the ice to get the legs back into shape, to gauge who is fit, that will be evident all on its own.
The Jets have never looked to be the fittest of teams on the ice and one could look at many of the third period wilts they have had over three seasons. The legs just aren’t there, and when players in any sport are not fit mistakes always happen, it’s an inevitable truth. Maurice surely knows this and he’s bound to have looked at the team’s fitness testing results and know changes have to happen.
Accountability/Rules
There are more changes coming for the Jets than on the ice and last year we got a late-season glimpse of what is to be expected. Evander Kane was a healthy scratch by Maurice on Saturday night in Toronto. The Natural did not get the prime time he wanted because it turned out he violated a team rule and was tardy for a meeting. Was it a warning shot across the bow? Probably and the message delivered was I’m in charge, there are rules, and rules are to be followed. Period. Dot. The end.
Knowing this and some comments later from Maurice around the event it’s fair to expect that the players are going to have to prepare for change off the ice as much as on the ice. The off-ice work and rules are almost surely there to be part of performance and execution on the ice. They are ‘part and parcel’ with the goal of being a better hockey team. To some the rules may make little sense but Maurice does not need to explain them, he’s like a parent in that way and ‘because I said so’ is a perfectly fair answer.
Take the situation a bit further and one could surmise that Maurice knows through experience what the attitude and approach of winning, successful teams has to be in both situations on and off ice. A team plays 60 minutes of hockey for a game, maybe 65 but puts in far more time preparing for that game time. Maurice has probably come to the conclusion more than a few Jets fans already have, that the team is not reaping the rewards of practice time. Curiously enough last year after training camp Claude Noel even mentioned that ‘there was not a lot of time for teaching’. I imagine that will be far different this year.
Defense Restructuring
Maurice also mentioned that he believes he can improve the defense on the Jets. By what measure is yet to be determined but I think it’s safe to assume that it will involve reducing goals against. To do so will likely be without Dustin Byfuglien as a defenseman and with a combination of Bogosian, Trouba, Enstrom, Clitsome, Ellerby, Pardy, Stuart and Postma. Don’t count out Josh Morrissey as a long shot though as this is not a deep group however, that kind of move would be akin to rushing a draft pick like the old regime in Atlanta did.
There is much work to do here and this may be one of the most intriguing aspects of the Jets to watch. What will be different with the defense corps and the tactics they use? How soon will changes be noticeable and what kind of changes? I think one thing fans should expect is a faster transition out of the defensive zone. Maurice commented on how he liked the speed and size of the Jets forwards and it would stand to reason he sees that as an asset he will want to use. Having his defense move the puck to enable that speed is what I expect to be the biggest change.
Goaltending
Right on the heels of discussing defense issues last spring, Maurice said he believed he could make Ondrej Pavelec a better goaltender by improving the play of the defense. I this something Maurice believes is true in all instances of NHL teams or some? Could the Rask be any better if the Boston defense did something differently?
The skeptics, and I include myself in the group, believe Pavelec is what he is. There’s nothing more to find out about him. He simply is a below average goalie who has earned a better reputation than deserved due to saves that are highlight reel quality. Big saves are not ones that look good but ones that keep you in the game. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know when those big saves from the last three seasons came in terms of score?
The part about goaltending and Maurice is not going to play out like some think. There will be no Dave Tippet effect. The goaltending situation will revolve around how long Maurice can trust and use his starting tandem, whoever that may be. If Pavelec is the same, despite his agent Alan Walsh claiming the Czech netminder is in the best shape of his career, (why wait six years?) how long can Maurice ride him without having to go to Hutchinson or beyond? Even worse, is what if he can’t improve the defense in the way or manner he plans to?
Now the issues come back to personnel and the roster. Not a sobering thought for the many of fans who are opening questioning GM Kevin Cheveldayoff about his activity, or lack thereof this past summer.
Paul Maurice may have answers to some of the questions but they are only answers as one part of a process. He can change the off-ice structure. He can improve the fitness level. He can rebuild the defense corps tactical play and he can hope that it helps his goalie but if this doesn’t happen where do fans look?
Anyone seen Chevy lately?
Winnipeg Jets Blogger •Winnipeg Jets Writer • 
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