It’s difficult not to like Paul Maurice. By most accounts, he’s a player’s coach. He’s famously sincere, gifted with the ability to summarize profound concepts with a quick turn of phrase. He’s a dream coach for hockey media, a quip machine. And he’s even earned praise standing up to defend the honor of Winnipeg, his current NHL city.
And yet, while we’re pretty much all fans of Maurice the person, the timing of his multi-year extension, announced by the Jets Wednesday afternoon, feels at least a little curious. We have to ask the question, no? This Jets team holds a 29-24-5 record, good for 63 points, one behind the Arizona Coyotes for the final Western Conference wild-card spot, though the Jets have a game in hand.