The NHL announced the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, which goes to the coach who contributed the most to their team’s success.
The Winnipeg Jets’ Scott Arniel, Washington Capitals’ Spencer Carbery and Montreal Canadiens’ Martin St-Louis are all finalists after their teams took a step forward this season.
Arniel took over as Jets coach following Rick Bowness’ retirement. The Jets finished fourth in the NHL last season, and in his first season, Arniel took the club to new heights.
Winnipeg won the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in franchise history, recording a team-high 56 wins and 116 points. The team allowed the fewest goals against in the NHL while scoring the fourth-most. Their 28.9 percent power-play success rate topped the league and is the ninth-best rate since the NHL started tracking it in 1977-78.
While Bowness finished third in Jack Adams voting last season, the Jets’ new bench boss is in the running to win the award for the first time in franchise history.
Carbery, meanwhile, could be the fourth coach in Capitals history to win the award. The Capitals barely made the playoffs last year and were swept by the New York Rangers in the first round. This year, they finished second in the NHL standings, improving by 20 points. It was the largest points gain by a team that made the playoffs.
Washington improved to second in the league in goals-for from 29th place last season. They were also tied for eighth for fewest goals against, fifth in the best penalty-kill rate and first in comeback wins.
No bench boss has won coach of the year honors in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. Carbery could be the first.
St-Louis had his first playoff experience coaching the Canadiens this season, and it came after a big late-season push. The Canadiens were tied for second-last in the Eastern Conference at the 4 Nations Face-Off break and were six points out of a playoff spot. The rebuilding squad then went 15-5-6 the rest of the season to grab the second wild-card spot in the East by just a two-point cushion.
Montreal improved by 15 points this season from last year, and its penalty-kill rate shot up to ninth-best from 24th in 2023-24.
St-Louis is the Canadiens’ first Jack Adams Award finalist since Guy Carbonneau finished second in 2007-08. Only Scotty Bowman and Pat Burns won the Jack Adams Award while coaching the Habs.
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