The NHL season is beyond its halfway point and the standings have turned into one of the closest races in recent memory. Teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres sit in playoff contention, while the back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers are on the outside looking in. Such a tight year has brought on a heap of questions. Buried under the team projections and playoff hopes sits an almost-impossibly tough question to answer: who should take home the Jack Adams Award as ‘Coach of the Year’ in a year like this?
The evergreen candidates are certain to be at the top of the list. Jared Bednar has worked out a miracle season with the Colorado Avalanche. Just one week away from February, the Avalanche have only lost six games in regulation and 15 in total. Their 35 wins in 50 games is the third-highest win-percentage (.790) since 2000, behind only the 2022-23 Boston Bruins and the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks. Bruins’ head coach Jim Montgomery won the Adams for his record-setting season but Chicago’s Joel Quenneville wasn’t awarded the same honors. That could mean Bednar has more to prove, even as his team decimates a quiet Western Conference.
Jon Cooper, Bruce Cassidy, and Rod Brind’Amour have each continued their own success through a new year. Each of the three – representing Tampa Bay, Vegas, and Carolina – sit in playoff contention on the back of familiar stars and breakout years.
But their success has become routine over recent years. The same can’t be said for the Buffalo Sabres, who have blazed a shocking season thanks to Lindy Ruff in his second year back with the club. Buffalo boasts a 29-17-5 record or .618 win-percentage, miles above the 36-39-7 and .482 win-percentage they set last season. Ruff was the last head coach to lead Buffalo to the postseason, all the way back in 2011. He took the club to eight postseason appearances, and one Stanley Cup Final, over 12 years with the club from 1998 to 2011. After a year to settle back into his spot, it appears Ruff could do it again, and snap the longest-running playoff drought in major men’s sports.
Ruff will lead a class of underdog candidates for the Jack Adams. He’s sat next to rookie NHL coach Dan Muse, a former staple of USA Hockey who brings unique tactics behind the bench. Muse is one of the league’s younger head coaches and has made do with a transforming Penguins lineup, bringing the best out of rookie Benjamin Kindel and second-chance winger Anthony Mantha. If that is enough to win out the Adams in a tight year is yet to be seen – though it’s certainly a statement way to start an NHL career.
Red Wings’ head coach Todd McLellan will hold a flame after leading the club to the top of the Atlantic Division following his usurping of Derek Lalonde last season. Montreal’s Martin St. Louis, Boston’s Marco Sturm, and Utah’s Andre Tourigny could also make the list – thanks to how well they’ve pulled together rosters in flux.
The race for Jack Adams is often closely-followed, but seems to carry a bit more weight in a season split between record-setting winners, drought-enders, and unsuspecting stars. Each candidate holds a strong case for taking home hardware this summer. Who do you think should hear their name called?
Who Should Win The 2026 Jack Adams?
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Lindy Ruff, BUF 29% (222)
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Dan Muse, PIT 22% (164)
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Jared Bednar, COL 17% (127)
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Jon Cooper, TBL 15% (116)
Total votes: 757
Mobile users click here to vote.
The internet. They’ve never made a bad roster decision.
COL and TBL were great teams last year. PIT and BUF are solid choices, but its early. As an NYR fan my current/today vote goes to Todd McLellan of DET, though Marco Sturm of BOS is a dark horse candidate.
Give it to Cooper, as he needs the JA jinx!
It’s way too early to run a poll like that. We are only 62.8% into the regular season. A lot can and will happen before April.
This should be done just before the NHL announcers its choice.
How does Ryan Warsofsky not get on that list? Who had the Sharks as a playoff team this year?
bc DET, PIT, BUF and BOS were also bad last year and all have better records then SJ right now
None of those teams were predicted to be lottery teams before the season started.
I hear your argument and I understand. Jack Adams in the past has been chosen based on the top 5-10 teams and who had the largest change in record. So, even though Warsofsky has done an amazing job, SJ is still ranked 21st right now, so DET/PIT/BUF/BOS would be chosen above.
If it’s based on largest change in record from the previous season, that would bode well for Warsofsky.
I 100% agree with you … the last 9 winners (COVID year not included) were all from teams that eclipsed 100pts
Pitt and Bos on a lot of predictions had them both bottom 5 in league
It’s tough to divine exactly how much influence a coach really has on a team. We can say, “Well, team-X is better this year so it must be the coach,” but we never really know if it’s the coach or if the players are just playing better. Hockey is a very random sport.
it’s McClellan or Ruff.
Marco Sturm?!
I wouldn’t pick him myself, but it’s not self-evidently stupid. Who honestly had the Bruins in playoff contention this year?
Several great choices for the coach of the year this season, But, The season isn’t over. I’m shocked at the season Detroit is having, Especially when you look at their forward group, I also realize John Gibson has really helped alot for the Wings, But certainly Todd McLellan deserves some recognition.
Wilf, of course you are shocked. When you start from a point of little hockey knowledge and combine it with an amusing belief that you are always right, the result can really be nothing but shock when most of your rants turn out incorrect. Alex Ovechkin is washed up. Steven (25 goals) Stamkos has nothing left in the tank. Just a couple examples of your player evaluation skills. Now the Red Wings. When you spent numerous posts yapping about how bad the Wings were going to be this season, it was a good sign for everyone involved with that organization.