“Not being disrespectful to the other teams I’ve coached, but this is the best team I’ve ever coached. It’s not really that close,” said former Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice. The former Winnipeg Jets coach made this rather hard-hitting statement after the Cats’ practice session on May 31. Yet, the proof seems to be in the pudding as the coach won his first Stanley Cup with the Panthers.

However, it’s far from the only reason Maurice made such a statement. As the head of the defending champions, Maurice knows every single player under his wing and what helps them thrive. And it’s this familiarity that’s made the coach aware of something unique about the Panthers roster. “I’ll tell you the story of a year-end meeting with one of my players,” said the coach, and explained that ‘something special’ about the Cats.

“He, for me, had gone from not having a great year to having a really good year. I said, because it wasn’t me. Like, I didn’t come in and have this great speech, and his play took off. It was just what happened,” Paul Maurice told the press. “I figured out I could just be myself,” the player, whose name the Florida Panthers coach did not reveal, told him. It was just how the Panthers gave him space to grow that helped the player realize his potential.

“I didn’t have to go out if I didn’t want to, I didn’t have to be a tough guy. I could just be myself,” the player told his 58-year-old coach. And that’s when it clicked for Paul Maurice. “We have a really kind of diverse group of guys. Lots of different personalities, lots of different styles, and they don’t try to change themselves,” added Coach Maurice.

It’s the Florida Panthers system that welcomes and helps hockey stars settle in without a hitch. You don’t even have to look too far back to find the perfect example. Take former Boston Burin, Brad Marchand. The 36-year-old came in on short notice in March after 16 seasons with the Bruins. Yet, barely three months later, he’s gearing up to play the Stanley Cup finals.

Brad Marchand backed up the Florida Panthers’ coach’s words

It was a surreal experience for the Cats’ newest star when he stepped on the ice in the Panthers’ colors. After all, he had played against the Cats as one of their biggest NHL rivals for 16 years. Barely a month before March 2024, Brad Marchand was taking potshots at the Tkachuk brothers for mouthing off during the 4 Nations Face-Off. Yet there he was, ready to share the same offensive line with Matthew Tkachuk.

It should’ve been hard to adjust, but it wasn’t. Marchy scored a crucial overtime assist during his debut for the Florida Panthers. By early April, the NHL veteran had scored his first goal as a Panther. And that’s when he also praised the Cats’ system. “I love the messaging. The messaging that the team portrays in the room and on the bench is very simple to follow and very direct,” Marchand told reporters.

“The system… It helps regardless of your skill, talent, or physicality level. The expectations are the same right through the lineup,” added the former Boston Bruins’ captain. Another example is Matthew Tkachuk himself. The 27-year-old came onboard as part of a blockbuster trade between the Cats and the Calgary Flames on July 22, 2022. And it took all of two years to lift the Stanley Cup with the Panthers.

The Florida Panthers didn’t try to bend either Marchand’s or Tkachuk’s play style according to their system. Instead, Maurice and Co. allowed them to bring their hard-hitting play style and incorporated their leadership skills into the roster. The result? Matthew Tkachuk is in second place for playoff points at 16 (5 goals, 11 assists), while Marchand is tied for fourth with 14 (4 goals, 10 assists).