The 2023-24 NHL season begins Oct. 10 with a tripleheader on ESPN. To celebrate the start of the season, NHL.com writers and editors are debating who they think will win some of the League's major awards. Today, the Jack Adams Award, presented by the NHL Broadcasters' Association to "the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."
There was little doubt Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins would win the Jack Adams Award last season. After all, the Bruins set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) in a season some thought they might not even make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But Montgomery, in his first season in Boston, helped them become a juggernaut in the regular season.
It seems unlikely Montgomery can win the award again this season, meaning it’s a wide-open race. In fact, three of the coaches selected by NHL.com staff writers and editors didn't make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, while the other two reached their respective conference finals and are favorites to win it all this season.
Here is who our writers and editors picked to win the Jack Adams:
Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes
Brind'Amour, who won the Jack Adams Award in 2021, remains one of the best coaches in the NHL, and the Hurricanes will be a Stanley Cup contender this season with a deep lineup that is well coached. Carolina went nine straight seasons without qualifying for the playoffs before Brind'Amour was hired in 2018 and hasn't missed them since. The Hurricanes' 489 points (226-107-37) in their five seasons under Brind'Amour are fourth in the NHL during that span, behind the Boston Bruins (522), the Tampa Bay Lightning (503) and the Colorado Avalanche (492). They reached the Eastern Conference Final last season, and the next step is to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006. Playoff success doesn't count toward the Jack Adams, but Carolina will be among the best teams in the regular season and Brind'Amour will receive recognition for that. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Peter DeBoer, Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are my pick to win the Stanley Cup this season for a few reasons. They have outstanding forward depth, topped by arguably the best line in the NHL with Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski; one of the best defensemen in the game in Miro Heiskanen; and a proven big-game goalie in Jake Oettinger. But it's also because of their coaching. DeBoer knows how to win, and win in big spots. He's been to the Stanley Cup Final twice (New Jersey Devils, 2012; San Jose Sharks, 2016) and guided four teams to the conference finals, including the Stars last season. Entering his 16th NHL season, this might be the best all-around roster he's had. Though that adds to the pressure, DeBoer has full buy-in from his players when it comes to how they need to play to be successful. There could be a lot of hardware coming to Dallas this season, and that includes the Jack Adams Award for their coach -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor
Don Granato, Buffalo Sabres
Here's my bold prediction for 2023-24: The Sabres will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons. A big reason for that is the leadership and guidance of Granato since taking over for Ralph Krueger during the 2020-21 season. Granato has provided stability and has helped change the culture in Buffalo. Players want to play and win for him, as evidenced by the fact the Sabres' 91 points last season was their highest total since 2010-11 (96) -- coincidentally, the last time they played in the postseason -- and they were one point behind the Florida Panthers for the final wild card in the Eastern Conference. "At the end of last season, we could start talking about playoffs as an expectation, as a legitimate goal, and that's where we're at. That's where we wanted to be," Granato said during training camp. Granato allows players freedom to showcase their talents, yet is demanding and pushes them to the max. Players respond to his style, and he'll be rewarded for it this season. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
D.J. Smith, Ottawa Senators
This is the season the Ottawa Senators will announce their arrival as a force to be reckoned with in the NHL, and Smith, who has grown into the job with some of the Senators young core, will lead the way. The former Maple Leafs assistant coach is entering his fifth season as Senators coach and finally has a roster stacked with talent, including young stars like forwards Tim Stutzle, 21; Brady Tkachuk, 24; and Josh Norris, 24; and defensemen Thomas Chabot, 26; and Jakob Chychrun, 25. They're supported by veterans like forwards Claude Giroux, 35; and Vladimir Tarasenko, 31; and goalie Joonas Korpisalo, 29. Smith helped get them to within six points of a playoff spot last season, and I believe the Senators, with the excitement of a new owner, are going to take a big step this season, despite playing in a stacked Atlantic Division. -- Bill Price, VP, Editor-in-Chief
Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
Sullivan, going into his ninth season with the Penguins, is the second-longest tenured coach in the NHL behind Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning (entering 12th season). The Penguins won the Stanley Cup twice (2016, 2017) and qualified for the playoffs in each of Sullivan's first seven seasons, and missed them last season by one point. True, he has had Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang for his entire tenure, although they have not always been healthy, and they only make up three of the 20 dressed players allowed in the lineup each game. What Sullivan has done season after season, with the rosters he has had, has been nothing short of incredible, and he's never even been a finalist for the Jack Adams. That will change this season. -- David Satriano, staff writer
