In this edition of the hotstove, we share our Jack Adams picks for the 2017-18 season.
Todd Cordell
This award is generally handed out to a coach who takes a non-playoff team back to the promise land -- many times due to percentages going his way -- but I'm going to go with Mike Babcock.
For my money he has been the best coach in the league for a long time and he's still never been rewarded with the Jack Adams. If he leads the Toronto Maple Leafs back to the playoffs again, and they're one of the higher seeds, I think he'll finally get his due. He should, anyway.
My runner up is Jon Cooper. The Lightning dealt with a ton of injuries last season and just missed the playoffs as a result. Assuming they stay (relatively) healthy, they should get back there with relative ease this season. If they do, Cooper will benefit from the non-playoff team to playoff team boost.
Peter Tessier The Jack Adams award can be a funny thing and as many point out it often goes hand-in-hand with the play of the starting goalie. Is it the PDO award?
However, there is some art to coaching an NHL team isn't there? I could see Mike Babcock getting a good hard look if the Leafs take another big step forward. He has all the pieces to make himself look good and he plays in the biggest market.
Another coach who could be a possibility is Ken Hitchcock in Dallas. Having taken over an underperforming team adding a new goalie and other key players the Stars are the perfect rebound team that a new coach can benefit from in regards to recognition.
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