Paul Maurice was patient with Florida's players as they learned, and things seemed to come together just in the nick of time
Paul Maurice was patient with Florida's players as they learned, and things seemed to come together just in the nick of time
There was a big adjustment period for the Florida Panthers this past season.
The team went from one way of playing the game to a very different brand of hockey thanks to the hiring of head coach Paul Maurice.
It was a long and difficult process, but eventually, over time, Florida’s players began to understand the full scope.
Viewing this from a team standpoint, the changes were apparent, and the results spoke for themselves.
From an individual perspective, looking from one player to another, some were able to adjust easier than their teammates.
For Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, the process was long, but it was rewarding.
It was a tough season for Ekblad as he battled several injuries throughout the year while trying to master a new system.
There was more to it than simply adjusting to different positioning and timing though. For Ekblad, it was a complete shift from one way of playing defense to another.
Fortunately, he had some experience to draw on while making the changes.
“Just a completely different defensive system,” said Ekblad. “I hadn’t played that man-on-man kind of system in like five or six years. Early on in my career we played a lot of man-on-man, and then we moved away more to the zone, and then now back to it.”
The way Maurice asks his players to defend, there is a lot more individual responsibility and accountability.
Everyone must be on the same page in order for the process to be successful.
It took some time for the Panthers to adjust, particularly on the back end, but they got there.
“It's a learning process,” said Ekblad. “It's a lot more difficult for defenseman because you’re kind of chasing around a little bit more, but it's a good system, and once we learned to play it as a team, I mean, you saw what we could do, right?”
Indeed, when something clicked with the Panthers and they began performing in Maurice’s systems as a unified, cohesive unit, the team became incredibly difficult to play against.
Suddenly, goals against started going down.
The transformation from a run-and-gun, high scoring team into a tight-checking, grind you down and physically outwork you team is what helped Florida get into the playoffs in the first place.
Once they got there, and began to master the technique, the Panthers became giant killers.
As Florida took down Boston, then Toronto and then Carolina in the conference final, the games seemed to get tighter and lower scoring.
Whether they were ahead or behind, early in the game or in sudden death overtime, the Panthers remained consistent and confident in the way they played.
If not for a ridiculous amount of severe injuries that piled up at the worst time, the Cats may have been able to complete their improbable run at the Stanley Cup.
Still, it certainly breeds excitement in what could be coming for the Panthers if they continue to play such a heavy and menacing brand of hockey.
“Defensively it was just different, it took time, but I definitely believe in the system, and believe in what the coaches were teaching us,” Ekblad said. “It started to work, and it worked well.”