It’s the midway point of the 2024-25 season, which is always a fun time to review how things have gone through the first 40-plus games and indicate what could transpire over the remainder of the schedule. So far, there have been plenty of storylines, including several teams that are both under and overperforming.
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While by no means the sole reason, a big part of certain teams overperforming based on preseason projections comes from the voice they have behind the bench. There are many coaches this season who have done an excellent job with their teams to date, and, if things keep up, they could find themselves in the running for the Jack Adams Award. Here are the five leading candidates to take home the Coach of the Year honours thus far.
5. Sheldon Keefe (New Jersey Devils)
The New Jersey Devils were expected to be better than they were a season ago, but many thought they may find themselves in a dogfight for a playoff spot down the stretch of the 2024-25 campaign. Barring a collapse over the second half, it doesn’t look as though they’ll have any sort of issue getting into the dance, as they sit second in the Metropolitan Division with a 25-15-4 record.
Keefe deserves a ton of credit for turning the Devils around in his first season with the organization. They’ve had help in other areas as well, perhaps most notably in net thanks to the addition of Jacob Markstrom. Still, Keefe is quickly proving why he was scooped up so quickly after being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
4. Ryan Huska (Calgary Flames)
Seemingly nobody had the Calgary Flames in a playoff spot before the season began, as most believed they’d be a lottery team. Granted, they aren’t in a spot at the moment, but trail the Vancouver Canucks by just one point for a wild card position. Ryan Huska has instilled a scrappy and relentless work ethic into this group which has made them a very difficult matchup for opposing teams.
What Huska has also done a great job with is helping develop some of the organization’s young players. Individuals such as Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, and even Jakob Pelletier appear to be making big strides under his guidance, which bodes well for the future of this team. If the Flames get into the playoffs, Huska has a strong chance at being a top-three finalist for the Jack Adams.
3. John Hynes (Minnesota Wild)
The expectations for the Minnesota Wild heading into 2024-25 were similar to what they’ve been with this team for years. A borderline playoff team that has talent but is not a group anybody looks at as a Stanley Cup contender. Based on the standings right now, however, they look very much like a team that could go all the way.
The Wild are currently fourth in the NHL standings with a 26-12-4 record, a stark turnaround for a team that finished 11 points shy of a playoff spot a season ago. It is quite clear that having a new voice behind the bench has gone a long way in helping improve this group. Much like Huska in Calgary, John Hynes has really fast-tracked the development of young players such as Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy.
2. Scott Arniel (Winnipeg Jets)
One team that nobody seemed to know where to rank coming into the season was the Winnipeg Jets. This is a team that for years has had some top-end talent such as Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Connor Hellebuyck, but have been up and down due to a sometimes underwhelming supporting cast.
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The Jets were ousted quickly by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of last year’s playoffs, leading many to believe they would be an average-at-best team in 2024-25. Instead, their 28 wins are tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for first in the NHL. Should they continue winning at such a rapid rate in the second portion of the season, Scott Arniel, who is in his first year as a head coach with the Jets, could very well take home the Jack Adams.
1. Spencer Carbery (Washington Capitals)
The Washington Capitals have been an incredible story this season. After just barely sneaking into the playoffs a year ago, they were not projected by many insiders to make it this time around. Instead, they have been torching the NHL, and sit second in league standings with 58 points.
The fact that Spencer Carbery not only got the Capitals into the playoffs at all last year, but has them sitting atop the Eastern Conference has him sitting as the frontrunner for the Jack Adams. A rough second half could change that, but with how well this team is rolling, it’s hard to envision much of a fall-off.
Plenty of Deserving Candidates
While the five coaches listed here are the frontrunners for the Jack Adams as of now, there are plenty of other bench bosses around the league doing fantastic jobs as well. The problem that many of them will have when it comes to this particular award is that it oftentimes is given out to a coach whose team overachieved based on what was expected heading into the season. Based on that definition, these five seem to have the best shot at winning the award thus far.
