Florida Panthers Coach Paul Maurice Good Bet for Jack Adams

With the Florida Panthers in an interesting decision, coach Paul Maurice could be up for some serious praise if his team has a strong regular season.

He already made a great case for it when the team went 10-5-1 with star defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour missing the first 16 games of the season with injuries.

His betting odds are in the bottom of the pack, sitting at +3500, but he clearly has shown he deserves far better off.

So fans should run to Betway as soon as they can before Vegas finds out…

It was clear Maurice’s system has fully solidified itself and is a huge reason the Panthers have been as successful as they are.

Florida struggled out of the gates in 2022-23 after facing injury troubles early on while they were still learning the ins and outs of Maurice’s style of hockey.

After a run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, the incumbent players should not have an issue with that.

Additions like Evan Rodrigues and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have the chance to turn the Panthers into an offensive juggernaut once again.

Kevin Stenlund, Niko Mikkola and Uvis Balinskis were all pleasant surprises who stepped up into bigger roles in the face of injury.

But there are treacherous waters Maurice has to navigate his team through — and it is already starting to show on the ice.

With the injuries to Montour and Ekblad, Florida had to add four new defensemen to its roster during the offseason.

Many of whom have been used to serving a bottom-pairing role throughout their career.

Early on, it looked like there was going to be some growing pains for that new blueline corps.

They started 0-2-0 and mistakes were apparent in their first two games.

It was especially apparent in their second game, where the Winnipeg Jets took advantage of multiple sloppy plays from Florida defenders.

Since? They went 10-3-1 and were in the Top 10 in fewest goals against, scoring chances against and high-danger chances against.

We are better than we have ever been defensively,” Paul Maurice said before his stars returned. “We are learning how to win and battle in tight games before some of the hands loosen up.”

The current betting field is pretty interesting.

Rick Tocchet has the best odds with a Vancouver Canucks team that has surged as of late.

They went from missing the playoffs to being a Top 2 team in the Pacific Division with their star players firing at all cylinders.

Is it sustainable, though? We will have to see.

Bruce Cassidy’s Vegas Golden Knights have, once again, been a juggernaut to start the season, keeping a good pace with the Boston Bruins.

But coaches who had a roster everyone knew is great coming into the season — especially one that won a Cup the previous year — don’t typically get as much love from Jack Adams voters.

Derek Lalonde of the Detroit Red Wings rounds out the Top 3, but Detroit has started to cool off after a hot start and the Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs have taken over their spot in the Atlantic Division playoff picture.

A lot can change in the field and Maurice could be a solid bet if Florida keeps on winning.