Nate Schmidt saw how some NHL defensemen were finding their game again with the Florida Panthers and coach Paul Maurice. Since signing a one-year contract with them on July 3, the 33-year-old defenseman has experienced that firsthand.
“The best way I can describe it is he frees you up to play the style of game you were meant to play,” said Schmidt, who also played for Maurice with the Winnipeg Jets in 2021-22. “He doesn’t ask anyone to skate end to end, he doesn’t ask anyone to do anything more than what they can or should be doing. That just takes a lot of pressure off guys, and he understands that this is the way you want to look.”
Centuries ago, Juan Ponce de Leon supposedly searched for the Fountain of Youth in modern-day Florida. For Schmidt and other defensemen, including Gustav Forsling, 28, and Dmitry Kulikov, 34, South Florida has definitely been the place to revitalize their games. Before Schmidt’s arrival, Forsling and Kulikov proved to be big keys for the Panthers.
They’re trying to do it again this year, once again facing the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final. Following a 5-4 double-overtime win in Game 2 on Friday, the best-of-7 series is tied 1-1.
Maurice gets some credit for helping defensemen find their game again, but so does the cohesiveness of Florida’a locker room, and so does Sylvain Lefebvre, Maurice’s assistant in Florida since 2022. General manager Bill Zito said Lefebvre is “a wonderful teacher, a wonderful person who’s extracted the most out of everyone.
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