The top coach in the National Hockey League is an award that can go to many coaches in any given year, so it often ends up going to the coach with the best story. Here are our odds, picks, and predictions for the 2023 NHL Jack Adams Award.
The Jack Adams Award is as narrative-driven as any award in the sport. It is so hard to know the details regarding what a coach is doing behind closed doors that the award ends up being driven by team results. Not just team results, but team results relative to expectations.
That means the coach that takes a team from playoff team to contender might draw interest. Same goes for the team that jumps into the playoffs. A coach that can withstand a bunch of injuries to keep a team competitive also fits the narrative requirement.
While there are coaches that have won multiple Jack Adams Awards, it hardly ever happens in back-to-back seasons. Jacques Demers is the last one to do it, with the Detroit Red Wings in 1986-1987 and 1987-1988. That would seem to be bad news for Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter, who won last season.