Maurice wants to return to coach Jets but says family must share decision

WINNIPEG - The players want him back and he wants to come back but head coach Paul Maurice says no decision has been made about whether he will return to the Winnipeg Jets next season.

Maurice was brought in mid-season when Claude Noel was sacked by the slumping Jets, who just finished out of the playoffs for the third straight season in Winnipeg and seventh straight for the former Atlanta franchise.

They played better after the coaching change but still finished exactly where they did in their first season under Noel in their new home, with 84 points.

Maurice says he wants to return as head coach but his family comes first and they must share in his decision.

Jets captain Andrew Ladd says the players want him back as well.

Ladd says he believes they can continue to develop and find more of the consistency they showed in the last half of this season.