Ranking the Top Candidates for the Jack Adams Award in 2014-15 NHL Season

A few weeks into the 2014-15 season, I ranked my top candidates for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's best coach of the year.

Since that time, three men have been dismissed from their positions: Paul MacLean in Ottawa, Dallas Eakins in Edmonton and Peter DeBoer in New Jersey. (Thankfully, none of them were on my list.) We've also seen last year's Jack Adams winner, Patrick Roy, struggle to get his Colorado Avalanche out of the bottom quarter of the standings. Success can be fleeting.

As 2015 begins and we approach the halfway point of the season, let's take another look. This list narrows the potential candidates down from eight to five, with nods to a few men who could still put themselves back in the race with super-impressive second-half campaigns.

Honorable Mentions

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The top five Jack Adams candidates have each done a tremendous job of turning around the fortunes of teams that sat near the NHL cellar not so long ago. Here are a few other names that could eventually wind up in contention.

I've broken them down into two categories: good coaches who are still good and new coaches who are doing good work but have yet to make a whole lot of noise.

The Perennials

Bruce Boudreau: Anaheim Ducks

Joel Quenneville: Chicago Blackhawks

Michel Therrien: Montreal Canadiens

Mike Babcock: Detroit Red Wings

Ken Hitchcock: St. Louis Blues

The Newcomers

Mike Johnston: Pittsburgh Penguins

Willie Desjardins: Vancouver Canucks

Gerard Gallant: Florida Panthers

Of this bunch, Therrien, Johnston and Desjardins appeared among my contenders back in October. They all still have their teams in the league's top 10, but I don't know if they've been flashy enough to earn attention from the National Hockey League Broadcasters Association, which votes for the winner.

Boudreau deserves consideration as long as his Ducks keep coming out on top in one-goal games. Babcock has pulled the Red Wings from a bubble team back to one of the best in the East.

And Gallant? There's a guy who's faced with a high degree of difficulty. If he gets the Florida Panthers into the playoffs in his first season with the team, he becomes a serious contender for the big prize.

5. Bob Hartley: Calgary Flames

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My October Ranking: 

Eighth

Team Status: 

21-15-3, 45 points, fourth in Pacific Division

His Season So Far: 

When the Calgary Flames dropped seven straight games between Dec. 6 and Dec. 19, it looked like a course correction for a rebuilding team that got off to a curiously good start. But the Flames bounced back and look like they still have more to prove.

Bob Hartley guided his team to a 4-0-1 record since the streak ended, and Calgary is stubbornly clinging to a Western Conference wild-card spot. On Dec. 17, when the Flames were still losing, Hartley was signed to a multiyear contract extension, per the Calgary Sun—a vote of confidence for the work he has already done and will accomplish down the road.

When Miikka Kiprusoff and Jarome Iginla left Calgary two seasons ago, it was assumed that a long, painful rebuild lay ahead. Hartley has expedited the process and brought the Flames back to respectability faster than anyone imagined.

4. Jack Capuano: New York Islanders

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My October Ranking: 

Fifth

Team Status: 

25-11-1, 51 points, second in Metropolitan Division

His Season So Far: 

The New York Islanders got off to a hot start with a retooled lineup and great goaltending from Jaroslav Halak. Midway through the season, they're challenging the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Lots of question marks still surround this low-profile club, but a move from 26th overall at the end of last season to sixth place as we start 2015 is exactly the kind of turnaround that gets attention from Adams voters.

Jack Capuano stepped behind the Islanders bench on November 15, 2010, so he's now the NHL's sixth-longest-serving coach. He has climbed a long way since this 2011 list from NHL.com.

With the considerable challenges the Islanders franchise has faced over the last few years, it's impressive that the coach has managed to keep developing his young draft choices and, this year, successfully integrated a solid crop of free agents. 

Capuano deserves credit if the Islanders can avoid a second-half swoon before playoff time.

3. Paul Maurice: Winnipeg Jets

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My October Ranking:

N/A

Team Status: 

19-12-7, 45 points, fourth in Central Division

His Season So Far: 

It has been nearly a year since Paul Maurice took over the coaching reins from Claude Noel in Winnipeg last January. Only in the last couple of months has his team earned the results to show that the players are on board with his program.

After a 1-4 start to the 2014-15 season, the Jets went 9-1-4 between Nov. 25 and Dec. 27 to pull themselves into a Western Conference wild-card spot and ignite the playoff dreams of their passionate fanbase.

Maurice has navigated a tricky goaltending situation, successfully integrating stellar backup Michael Hutchinson. The Jets have managed to stay on a positive track despite a rash of injuries that have knocked out their top four defensemen.

The voters won't be able to ignore the roar of support for Maurice from Central Canada if Winnipeg can weather this storm and make the playoffs for the first time in their new franchise's history.

2. Peter Laviolette: Nashville Predators

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My October Ranking: 

Second

Team Status: 

24-9-3, 51 points, second in Central Division

His Season So Far:

Former Nashville coach Barry Trotz is making strides in his new job with the Washington Capitals, but Peter Laviolette has enjoyed instant success since taking over the Predators.

Goaltender Pekka Rinne is back from injury and laying down an All-Star season, which helps, but Laviolette has added an offensive component to Nashville's game without sacrificing its tight defensive play. With 106 goals for and just 78 against, the Preds are now second in the NHL behind the Chicago Blackhawks with a plus-28 goal differential. That'll win a lot of hockey games.

After finishing sixth in the Central Division last season, Nashville looks like a lock for a playoff spot this year.

Laviolette has been a serious Jack Adams contender before. When he won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2006, he finished just one point behind the Buffalo Sabres' Lindy Ruff in the closest vote ever, according to NHL.com. He should be right in the mix again this year.

1. Jon Cooper: Tampa Bay Lightning

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My October Ranking: 

Third

Team Status: 

24-11-4, 52 points, first in Atlantic Division

His Season So Far: 

After being named a Jack Adams finalist in his first full season behind the bench in Tampa Bay in 2013-14, Cooper has built the Lightning into an Eastern Conference powerhouse—maximizing contributions from his veterans while developing his prospects as well as anyone in the league.

If voters are looking to award a young coach who's showing steady improvement, Cooper's their man. The Lightning are the top team in the East heading into 2015, and with a healthy Steven Stamkos and Ben Bishop, they should take the next step and contend in this year's playoffs.

Stats courtesy of NHL.com.