This past December, longtime Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice stepped down as coach of the franchise leaving room for Dave Lowry to take on the interim coaching position. When the news was announced, change was the main thing being pushed out by the franchise.
The Winnipeg Jets finished sixth in the Central Division with 89 points on the season. They were eight points out of a playoff spot. Maurice coached the team to a 13-11-5 record, and Lowry coached them to a 26-22-6 record during his time with the team.
Maurice had been the head coach of the team since 2013, and he has coached the team to a 315-224-62 record during his time; he had his best point percentage record as a coach with the Jets.
"“Sometimes you can only push so far. Sometimes a team needs a new voice. They haven’t quit on me but need a different voice.”– Paul Maurice during a press conference announcing his decision to step down."
The Jets needed a new voice, and they still do need a new voice. This team is not trying to rebuild they want to be back in the playoffs next year and be competitive again. One coach who could help get them there happens to be available after being let go from his current position in New York.
Barry Trotz and the Winnipeg Jets make sense.
Trotz is a Winnipeg-native, and while he has interviewed in a few different places and is one of the top candidates every team is looking for this summer, a return to Winnipeg just makes sense.
Trotz interviewed with the team on Tuesday, as Elliotte Friedman reported.
Trotz is someone who makes something out of nothing. When he went to New York, the Islanders were really not destined to be that great after losing John Tavares in free agency. But Trotz made them competitive and coached them to back-to-back conference final appearances in 2020 and 2021.
He is one of the best coaches in the game right now and definitely is someone that a defensive team like the Jets should consider adding.
Trotz has already won his Stanley Cup and he has been one of the top coaches in the game for a long time now. If he wants to keep coaching at this level then going back to his hometown makes sense.
Hiring Barry Trotz as the head coach in Winnipeg would do exactly what Paul Maurice was saying when he stepped down. It would give the franchise a change and a new voice, and it could potentially lead the Jets back into the postseason in 2023.