The Winnipeg Jets are at a bit of a crossroads this off-season. Due to the salary cap and multiple players being up for new contracts, the Jets could have a much different look come game one of the 2019-2020 season. With all the potential personnel changes, should they also change their coaching staff or should they keep head coach Paul Maurice and his staff?
If there is a lot of upheaval in the organization, it might be beneficial to the younger players to keep some things consistent. For the most part, Maurice keeps his forward lines together and he keeps his defensive pairs together. In a world of line-blending, Maurice is very calm in his approach and it allows players to develop chemistry with their linemates over time. This becomes very noticeable when players do not get this luxury.
Another reason to keep Maurice is that he is fairly consistent with his goalie usage. He is good for not playing the same goalie in back to back situations. He rarely calls his goalies out and tends to protect them from criticism.
Finally, Maurice is good at handling the media. This does not seem like big deal, but it means that he can communicate his point across without people thinking he has momentarily lost his mind like when Michel Therrien compared the Montreal Canadiens to a fruit salad.
These are not the strongest reasons for keeping a coach and that is partially because I am firmly on the side of firing Maurice because the Jets have moved beyond his abilities as a coach. However, there are some reasons that a team might want to keep him beyond money and that is understandable.
