We are past the midway point of the NHL season, and for some coaches, there will be a fight to get into the playoffs, while others will be looking to improve or maintain their current pace.
Winning the Jack Adams Award has proven to be tough because certain factors tend to influence voters. In most cases, the majority of bench bosses have won because their team exceeded expectations.
It's not often that a coach wins because their team finished with the top record over the past 10 seasons, and only twice has the coach of the Presidents' Trophy-winning team also captured the Jack Adams.
The award has also been a bit of a curse. Over the past 10 seasons, only two former Jack Adams winners are still employed by the team they won it with, Rick Tocchet (who won it just last season) and Rod Brind'Amour.
Who will earn the honour this season and join an elite list of current and former coaches?
Here is a tiered breakdown of the different options.
TOP TIER: THE FRONT-RUNNER
Spencer Carbery, Washington Capitals
If there is a team that has surpassed expectations most, it is the Capitals. From barely making the playoffs last season and getting swept in Round 1, to owning the best points percentage in the NHL, Carbery has to be the runaway favourite for the award.
The Capitals hold a six-point lead in the Metropolitan Division over the New Jersey Devils. They are second in the league in goals scored, have the third-ranked penalty kill and are fifth in goals-against per game.
It's undoubtedly impressive, given this is just his second season as an NHL head coach, and it hasn't been easy given the challenges Carbery has dealt with this season.
When Washington was missing Alex Ovechkin for 16 games, the team went 10-5-1 with their captain sidelined. It's truly a credit to the Capitals for building a strong core around Ovechkin, but it's not just veterans leading the way.
Young players like Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas, and Martin Fehérváry have taken a step forward and have been reliable contributors this season.
Then you have Dylan Strome on pace for a career-best season, and Jakob Chychrun is having a big rebound season in a role that seems to suit him best.
While some will be surprised to see Washington's success, those who have watched Carbery's career can see where he has made a difference. The 43-year-old has had success as a head coach in the minors.
During his time in the ECHL and AHL, the Victoria, B.C., native won coach of the year awards. That doesn't always translate to success in the NHL, but this is a coach who is certainly turning a lot of heads and could be someone we hear in the Jack Adams conversation over the next while.
SECOND TIER: THE CLEAR CHALLENGER
Scott Arniel, Winnipeg Jets
No team got off to a better start to the season than the Jets and a lot of credit goes to the organization's decision to replace Rick Bowness with Arniel.
Owning the second-best record in the league, the Jets can credit an NHL record-setting streak where they won 15 of their first 16 games of the season.
They own the top goal differential in the NHL thanks to a league-best 162 goals scored, the third-fewest goals allowed, and the league's best power play at 32.3 per cent.
The gap between Carbery and Arniel shouldn't be far off, given that both teams sit at the top of the league standings, and frankly, if you asked voters a couple of months into the season, more might have leaned toward the Jets bench boss.
Where some might give Carbery the edge is that his team has had success with a goaltending tandem of Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren, while Arniel has a perennial Vezina Trophy winner in Connor Hellebuyck to lean on.
THIRD TIER: IN THE RUNNING
John Hynes, Minnesota Wild
Another team that has been a surprise are the Wild, especially after some questioned if Hynes was the right hire last season, given he hadn't had a lot of success as a coach to that point, and then the team missed the playoffs in 2024.
Given Minnesota has been handcuffed with roughly $15 million in dead cap space, this was going to be a tough assignment for any head coach. Fortunately for the State of Hockey, Hynes has gotten the most out of this group and impressively has them second in the Central Division.
Credit the team for being able to remain competitive despite missing key players to injuries including Hart Trophy candidate Kirill Kaprizov. They've also been without top defencemen Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon for a good stretch, yet the quality of play hasn't dipped that much.
Bruce Cassidy, Vegas Golden Knights
No stranger to the award, Cassidy might not be garnering as much hype despite the Golden Knights being in a strong position and Jack Eichel throwing his name into the Hart Trophy conversation.
Considering the Golden Knights' impressive record despite not having stellar goaltending, Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov have combined for a 29-12-3 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage, Cassidy should be getting more credit for how his team has been able to maintain the third best points percentage.
The Golden Knights have been no stranger to remaking their roster on the fly and that's always a challenge for a head coach. The 59-year-old has been able to integrate players like Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin into the lineup and hopes it'll put his team in a strong position to go on another Stanley Cup run.
Vegas will have some strong competition to stay in the top spot in the Pacific Division with the Edmonton Oilers within striking distance.
Jim Hiller, Los Angeles Kings
If there is another team that fits the bill as one that has outperformed expectations, it's Hiller and the Kings.
There was some uncertainty with the changes made to the roster in the off-season following another early playoff exit and, of course, a big-time injury to Drew Doughty.
It was tough to imagine this Kings team owning the sixth-best points percentage in the league without their No. 1 defenceman. It's also impressive that Los Angeles is first in goals-against per game without Doughty.
Credit should also go to Darcy Kuemper who is enjoying a rebound season after being traded out of Washington. And Anze Kopitar is projected to have his best offensive season since 2017-18.
Sheldon Keefe, New Jersey Devils
In his first season with the Devils, there was a lot of pressure for Keefe to get this team back into a contending position. New Jersey has failed to make the playoffs 10 times in 12 seasons but looks to be in a strong position to get back this season.
So far in the Keefe era, the Devils are in second place in the Metropolitan Division with a 26-15-5 record. While there will be questions as to whether the 44-year-old can find some success in the post-season after just one series win during his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the pressure to win in New Jersey is certainly a little different.
Under Keefe, the Devils rank top five in goals-against, top 10 in penalty kill percentage and have the third-ranked power play. It's certainly enough to get him in the conversation for the Jack Adams, but it's tough to see it being enough to push him over the other candidates.
FOURTH TIER: DARKHORSE CANDIDATES
Dean Evason, Columbus Blue Jackets
No coach faced a more challenging situation coming into this season than Evason after the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau.
There were some growing pains but Evason now has this group in the wild-card hunt which will be a fascinating situation to monitor. If this Columbus team does get in, it will likely sway some votes to the 60-year-old.
Leading the way has been Zach Werenski who should be up for consideration in the Norris Trophy race, Kirill Marchenko, turning the corner as a perennial two-way player and Sean Monahan proving to be a great off-season addition.
Martin St. Louis, Montreal Canadiens
It's been a tough road for St. Louis to see his Canadiens contending for a playoff spot.
He doesn't have the luxury of leaning on Carey Price in net, but they are starting to see positive results by playing a tighter defensive game.
As Sportlogiq's Adam Vignan writes, Montreal has tightened up directly in front of the net during its hot stretch, allowing 5.8 inner-slot shots per game in all situations — tied for fifth in the league since Dec. 17. They gave up nearly two more inner-slot shots per game (7.63) through Dec. 14, which ranked 28th.
Rookie Lane Hutson has been one of the many bright spots this season, along with Cole Caufield in pace for his first 40-goal season.
If Montreal beats the odds and grabs a playoff spot, St. Louis could garner some votes but they'll need to show that they can sustain their pace which won't be easy in a tough Atlantic Division.
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