In this edition of the hotstove we share our thoughts on who should win the Jack Adams.
Todd Cordell
I think it has to go to Mike Babcock.
He led the Toronto Maple Leafs to the playoffs despite having a team full of rookies, albeit very good ones, and a shallow defense core to work with.
I think Babcock has been the best coach in the league for years and he's somehow never won the Jack Adams. The work he did this year will open some eyes and, hopefully, get him the recognition he deserves.
My runner up would be Guy Boucher (I'm aware he wasn't a finalist). I don't like their blue line and earlier in the year -- before MacArthur, Burrows, Stalberg, etc. were in the mix -- they were very top-heavy up front. The Sens still managed to finish 2nd in the division and were one of the better defensive teams in hockey. Boucher deserves a lot of credit for that.
James Tanner While Babcock has almost lived up to the hype in Toronto, the Jack Adams should go to Guy Boucher. He has done the most with the least, and specifically, his shut-down system has enabled the team one of the worst groups of defenseman to become an excellent defensive team.
Very boring, but it works.
Adam French I would give this one to Milk Babcock. If that joke didn't land, it's 1. because I'm not funny and 2. you never saw that tweet. Google it, it's fine.
The narrative that wins a Jack Adams is very, very simple.
Q: Did you team SUCK last year?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you not SUCK this year?
A: Yes.
Congrats Pataul Hartypett. Barry Trotz won it last year, but he was the last guy to buck that trend since Dan Bylsma who won it on the back of the usual injuries to the Penguins that never seem to actually phase them.
This year is a trifecta of this trend.
Babcock went from last to 8th in the East.
McLellan went from second last to 2nd in the Pacific.
Torts went from fourth last to 3rd in the Metro.
All three follow this trend, with Torts getting the "New Hire Turnaround" factor.
I think Babcock wins mainly because he has the pedigree and remains the "consensus" best coach to never win this award, and because the other two had some players return from injury that really turned their season around. Sergei Bobrovsky, Oscar Klefbom, and Connor McDavid being the obvious ones. Babcock had few injuries to deal with last season...the team just sucked. Really bad.
I have no problems with any of these guys winning, my money is on Babcock though. His advanced stats are pretty good. He led a team of mostly rookies to a strong season and "got" career years near across the board from his players.
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