In Paul Maurice’s third season as head coach, the Panthers had a solid record of 47-31-4, landing them third in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. They managed to score 252 goals and let in 223, which puts them up there as one of the toughest defensive teams in the league. With Maurice at the helm, Florida kept up some top-notch defensive stats. Sam Reinhart was the standout for the team, scoring 39 goals and racking up 81 points, and Aleksander Barkov came in strong with a team-high of 51 assists.

Maurice really made a name for himself in Florida before this season kicked off. In October 2024, he signed a multi-year contract and became the winningest coach in Panthers’ history with 111 wins. Plus, he led the team to their first-ever Stanley Cup in June 2024. “That tells you a lot,” said captain Barkov last year, emphasizing the impact Maurice has had on the team. “He knows how to prepare the team to win games and play the right way, and that’s the most important. He wants us to play the right way, and the wins will come.”

The club has really done well under his leadership, always landing in the top ten for a bunch of regular-season stats—like shots per game, power-play efficiency, goals per game, and goals against per game—ever since he came on board. So, when Paul Maurice didn’t show up on this year’s Jack Adams Award voting list, it really got a lot of Panthers fans talking. They even had a whole debate on the X post from NHL insider Chris Johnston.

It makes sense that there was an argument, especially considering Maurice’s consistent success during the regular season and his impressive stats. Maurice really brought a solid defensive setup, kept the power play running smoothly, and ensured that scoring was spread out across all the lines. Even making it to the Stanley Cup Final for the third year in a row doesn’t guarantee a spot on the award list. What did the fans have to say about this?

Mixed reactions over the absence of Paul Maurice

Voters for the Jack Adams Award, who were only concerned with regular-season dynamics and overachievement, obviously didn’t include Paul Maurice among the candidates. But a lot of Florida Panthers fans weren’t too pleased with it. One fan even said, “Paul Maurice robbed.” This fan made it clear: “Best coach in the nhl is indisputably Paul Maurice.” One comment that really stood out was, “Ever heard of Paul Maurice? 3 straight Cup Finals?”

Absolutely, Maurice definitely deserves some recognition for leading the Panthers to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in 2023, 2024, and 2025. But you know, the thing is, the Jack Adams Award really doesn’t take playoff performances into account, and that’s just how it is. An online user made a sarcastic remark, saying, “In a shocking development, a Panthers fan doesn’t know how award voting works,” poking fun at those who are upset about Maurice not being included.

Another fan commented, “S*** regular season finished 3rd in the div why would he even be nominated.” This fan pointed out that coming in third in the division is decent, but not exactly something to write home about. As per them, it doesn’t really stand out as award-worthy, especially when you look at coaches whose teams really surprised everyone by doing much better than expected. Even if Maurice didn’t win the trophy, the question of whether he can guide the Panthers to a repeat Stanley Cup victory remains unanswered.