Panthers HC Paul Maurice throws subtle shade at Maple Leafs, Hurricanes while heaping praises upon Florida

Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice shared how much he values his current team. Speaking to reporters before the Stanley Cup Final, Maurice said the 2025 Panthers roster is the best group he has ever coached.

He didn’t name past teams, but his long NHL coaching career includes stops with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

“I want to be really careful about not being disrespectful to the other teams I’ve coached. The team here, this is the best team I've ever coached. It's not really that close," Maurice said.

Paul Maurice has led numerous teams throughout his extensive coaching career. He coached the Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and currently, the Florida Panthers. His time with the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs included several playoff runs, but he never won a championship with them.

With Florida, he reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2023, 2024, and now again in 2025. The Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in 2024 under Maurice, as they beat the Edmonton Oilers in seven games to win the title.

In 2010, at age 43, Paul Maurice became the youngest coach in NHL history to reach 1,000 games. Still, he believes the 2025 Florida is the best of them all.

---

Panthers prepare for Cup final with injury questions

The Florida Panthers are getting ready for the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers. At Saturday’s practice, Anton Lundell and A.J. Greer did not skate. Eetu Luostarinen skated on his own. Coach Paul Maurice said Lundell and Luostarinen should be fine. Greer is still day-to-day.

"I think the only question mark is Greer," Maurice said via NHL.com. "We will list him as day to day. The other guys are fine. They'll be back on the ice tomorrow when we do a little bit of an optional."

Greer played in Game 5 but had very limited ice time. He has two goals and 45 hits in the playoffs. Luostarinen left Game 5 early after hitting the boards. He has 13 points in 17 playoff games. Lundell has played every game and has 12 points with a +12 rating. He briefly left one earlier game but returned.

Florida still has a few days before Game 1 on Wednesday in Edmonton. On the Edmonton Oilers’ side, Zach Hyman is expected to miss the series. He had surgery after an injury in Game 4 against Dallas. Hyman had 54 goals this season and leads the playoffs with 111 hits.