Jack Adams Award Picks: Can Anyone Catch Darryl Sutter?
Naming the NHL's Coach of the Year is challenging and the award seems to have relatively vague guidelines, but voters know what they like. Right now, the market considers Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter to be the favorite. Are there any other Jack Adams award picks worth pursuing?
The Jack Adams Award is voted on by hockey broadcasters. As such, ike any award, it is not immune from a good narrative taking over popular opinion.
These voters don’t know specifically what each coach has done to achieve team success. Evaluating that success from the outside involves some deduction. Generally, voters are drawn to a team that is not loaded with established stars or a team that exceeds expectations.
What has been an issue, historically, is that voters have tended toward rewarding coaches that exceed expectations. This will happen even if there might have been a dramatic shift in goaltending performance playing a big role in changing a team’s fortunes. It doesn't feel quite right to reward the coach in those circumstances and yet, it happens.
Here is a look at the top contenders for this season’s Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year.
Jack Adams Award Odds
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Jack Adams Award Odds: Contenders
Darryl Sutter
Darryl Sutter returned to the Calgary Flames last March and the team has been playing like a contender from the start of the 2021-22 season. Sutter has never won the Jack Adams, which is strange considering his previous coaching success. It's maybe not so strange when considering that he can be famously short with the media.
The reason to support Sutter’s case is not only that the Flames are much better than expected but they are dominating shot and expected goals metrics. That is part of the game over which the coach should have some control through tactical decisions and player deployment. Calgary is getting great goaltending from Jacob Markstrom, too, but the Flames’ statistical case supports Sutter’s positive impact.
The Flames have 70 points through 52 games and lead the Pacific Division. That's a 110-point pace in an 82-game season, all while the Flames have played 29 road games and 23 home games.
While Sutter is on 17.1% of the wagers at BetMGM, a whopping 42.7% of the handle is on him in this market. He opened the season priced at +5000, so there was ample opportunity to capitalize on the Flames’ success before now.
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Gerard Gallant
Gallant won this award when he was with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-2018. Hehas been highly regarded since a 103-point season with the Florida Panthers in 2015-16. The New York Rangers are exceeding expectations, but goaltender Igor Shesterkin is the best goaltender in the league. The Rangers have terrible shot and expected goal ratios. It is hard to credit the coach more than the goaltender when it comes to the Blueshirts’ success.
There could be a push for Gallant to win the award if the Rangers can win the Metropolitan Division. His name is on the most Jack Adams tickets (19.9%) at BetMGM.
Andrew Brunette
Andrew Brunette was pressed into surprise duty as the Panthers’ head coach when Joel Quenneville stepped down seven games into the season. He has guided Florida to one of the best records in the league at 35-13-5 through 53 games. He is a rookie head coach who took the job under difficult circumstances, but the Panthers had won their first seven games before he was hired. It is reasonable to believe that he is working with a strong roster.
Brunette is on 7.1% of the tickets for a total of 4.7% of the money wagered on the Jack Adams at BetMGM.
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Jared Bednar
It is never easy to win the Jack Adams by merely meeting expectations and that is where things sit with the Colorado Avalanche right now. They were the favorites to win the Presidents’ Trophy at the start of the season and they are still the favorites now as they sit atop the league standings.
That should not preclude Jared Bednar from winning but he probably needs Colorado to pull away from the field and maybe hope that the Flames fade down the stretch to bring Sutter back to the pack. Over 10% of the tickets and 13.0% of the Jack Adams handle is on Bednar at BetMGM.
SEE ALSO: Presidents' Trophy Picks
Jon Cooper
The challenge for any coach of a strong team is to somehow have an impact that is seen above and beyond the elite talent on the roster. So it goes for Jon Cooper, who is an excellent coach with back-to-back Stanley Cup wins to his credit. However, with a loaded roster, it is also difficult for him to ever get acknowledged as the very best head coach in any individual season.
There has been very little wagering interest in Cooper – 0.9% of tickets and 1.0% of the handle at BetMGM – likely because his roster is too stacked.
Rod Brind’Amour
It was unlikely that Rod Brind’Amour would win again this season and not because he is not deserving. It is easy to forget that the Carolina Hurricanes were not assumed to be a dominant team this season after losing top defenseman Dougie Hamilton in free agency. There has not been a back-to-back winner of the award since Jacques Demers with the Detroit Red Wings in 1986-87 and 1987-88.
For that reason alone, Brind’Amour would be a high-risk play this season. Just under 5% of wagers and 6.7% of the handle at BetMGM are willing to take a shot on him being the second coach to ever win the award in consecutive seasons.
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Mike Sullivan
It is wild that Mike Sullivan is not considered a favorite for this award. It’s like it has been forgotten that the Pittsburgh Penguins started this season without Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Yet, Sullivan kept his team afloat until his stars returned.
If the Penguins put together a strong finish and challenge the Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, Sullivan might be able to mount a late charge. If so, this price could offer some value. With 10.9% of the tickets on Sullivan, it is underwhelming that he has drawn only 10.5% of the handle at BetMGM.
Jack Adams Award Pick
Sutter is a worthy favorite and might still offer some value at this point; however, with about one-third of the season remaining, there is value to be found further down the board.
Sullivan has a strong case to be considered.
Historical Qualifications
It is rare for a coach to win the Jack Adams without at least having his team perform at a 100-point pace. In the past 15 seasons, there have been two instances of a coach winning without a points percentage of at least .610, the mark required to reach 100 points in 82 games.
Bob Hartley won the Jack Adams in 2014-15, when he guided the Calgary Flames to 97 points. It was the Flames' first playoff appearance in six seasons.
Paul MacLean won the award in 2012-2013, even though the Ottawa Senators earned a relatively modest 56 points in 48 games. MacLean did not have a team loaded with stars. Kyle Turris led the Sens with 12 goals and 29 points in 48 games. The Senators had incredible goaltending with Craig Anderson, Ben Bishop, and Robin Lehner combining to give the Sens a .935 save percentage. Really, that was the driving force behind their playoff berth that season.
Otherwise, the coach needs a certain amount of success. It would help if he could overcome some adversity to get there. Whether that involves injuries to star players or merely a roster lacking top-tier talent, it helps a coach’s case if the success can’t be merely attributed to the superstars on the roster.
Coaching Changes
It is also unusual for a coach to win the Jack Adams without coaching the entire season. There have been some examples of coaches coming into a position partway through the year and having such an impact that they ended up winning.
Ken Hitchcock coached 69 games for the St. Louis Blues in 2011-12. He coached them to a 115-point pace in those games, so his impact was deemed enough to win the Jack Adams.
Bruce Boudreau took over a struggling Washington Capitals team in 2007-08 and coached 61 games. The team earned 81 points (a 109-point pace) under the new coach. Boudreau could still make a late charge this year with the Vancouver Canucks. If they reach the playoffs, Boudreau might have a chance. His current price (+6000 at DraftKings) is at least worth monitoring.
The Philadelphia Flyers turned to Bill Barber in 2000-01. He coached just 54 games, but the Flyers earned 72 points (a 109-point pace). That was deemed enough to win the Jack Adams. Aside from those exceptions, though, the award typically goes to a coach that has been in place all season. That could present an added challenge for the likes of Brunette or Boudreau this season.
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