This guy you see in the snazzy suit and tie is Paul Maurice, and he is the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. How long he remains as head coach is something that will be determined in the next few days. Currently, if the New York Islanders didn't stink up the joint, the Hurricanes would be in last place in the Eastern Conference, and there are rumors that Maurice could be the guy to take the fall. Like the Columbus Blue Jackets situation, all blame should not go on the head coach, but on the higher ups in the organization. However, Maurice has had two stints as head coach in the Hurricanes organization, only making the playoffs in three of those season (1999, 2002, and 2009). In normal situations, this would be enough to get a coach fired, let alone twice, but given that the General Manager is Jim Rutherford, who has been the GM since the Hartford Whalers days, you begin to see why this is more than just a coaching problem. The entire organization is suffering, and it is showing up on the ice, as Eric Staal hasn't lived up to the big contract he signed a few years back, Tomas Kaberle has not been anywhere near his former self since leaving Toronto, and Cam Ward hasn't been lights out. Is it time for a change? Yes, but who will implement it if the owner is too stubborn and is living off of the few successes that the franchise has had?
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