NHL Jack Adams Award Odds: Boston’s Jim Montgomery Will Win

The Jack Adams Award is given annually to the NHL’s top coach during the regular season. The definition of “top coach” is obviously widely debated.

While the Jack Adams Award certainly goes to a good coach, it doesn’t always go to the best coach. Often, it’s handed out to the coach whose team outperformed low expectations at the beginning of the year.

For now, the oddsmakers believe Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery is going to win the 2022-23 Jack Adams Award. The Bruins coach’s odds sit at -350 to win this season’s coach of the year award.

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2022-23 NHL Jack Adams Award Odds

Odds as of March 2

Jack Adams Award: The Field

Sportsbooks aren’t taking bets on anyone outside of Jim Montgomery, Lindy Ruff, Rod Brind’Amour or Dave Hakstol. Which is odd. The season isn’t over yet and it’s not as if a shortlist has been (or ever will be) announced by the NHL during the season. It’s strange to limit the field to these four names. 

But if that’s what we can bet on, let’s look at them all. Can anyone steal the hardware from presumptive winner Jim Montgomery?

Lindy Ruff - New Jersey Devils (+500)

Lindy Ruff’s young Devils are flying. With a 40-15-5 record, they sit second in the Metropolitan Division by a single point. With 85 points, the Devils have already exceeded last year’s point total by 22. And they still have 22 games left on the schedule. 

The veteran coach’s system is defensively sound with the fifth-lowest 5-on-5 expected goals against at 118.66 and the fifth-lowest 5-on-5 shots against total in the league. Ruff’s system doesn’t clip the wings of his young offensive players like 21-year-olds Jack Hughes (36 goals and 74 points in 56 games) and Dawson Mercer (20 goals and 43 points in 60 games).

But with broadcasters voting on the award, does Lindy Ruff have a compelling storyline to win? I’m not so sure.

Rod Brind’Amour - Carolina Hurricanes (+1200)

Rod “The Bod” Brind’Amour is one of the most respected coaches in the NHL. That just kind of happens when you’re a good coach and you can bench press as much as the players. 

For years, Brind’Amour’s lineup decisions and tactics have brought incredible regular-season success to the Carolina Hurricanes. Since 2018-19, when he took over behind the bench in Carolina, the Hurricanes hold the third-best regular-season record at 213-98-36 for 462 points.

This year, Brind’Amour has his Hurricanes second in the NHL with a 39-12-8 record and 86 points. Only Boston and its historic run is better. 

On the hockey side of the equation, the Canes bench boss has a good case to win. But there isn’t a compelling story to his season to give him the award.

Dave Hakstol - Seattle Kraken (+1400)

In Seattle’s second year under Dave Hakstol, the Kraken have taken a massive step forward. In 82 games last year, the Kraken amassed 60 points in 82 games. In 60 games this year, they already have 72 points. 

Putting rookie Matty Beniers in a position to succeed has paid off handsomely for Hakstol. The 2021 second overall pick has scored 42 points in 58 games this season. Typically, NHL coaches don’t give a 20-year-old nearly 17 minutes of playing time a night, but Hakstol believed in his young center and it’s worked out very well.

If Seattle makes the playoffs – they’re currently -1000 to make the playoffs – Hakstol will have the hockey credential as well as the storyline by putting a brand new franchise into the postseason in its second two of existence. Hakstol is my Jack Adams dark horse. 

Jim Montgomery - Boston Bruins (-350)

I can see why oddsmakers are backing the B’s bench boss to win the ’22-23 Coach of the Year trophy. Not only does he have his team at the top of the NHL standings with an insane 47-8-5 record – a pace that could see them break the single-season points record – but he’s been able to build that record despite injuries to key players like Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy at the beginning of the season.

Montgomery also has a compelling personal storyline after coming back to NHL coaching following a spell in rehab for alcohol abuse.  

I can’t see a scenario where Montgomery doesn’t win this award.

Last 10 Jack Adams Award Winners

It’s still shocking to not see Jon Cooper’s name on this list. The Lightning coach has been one of the best coaches in the NHL, if not THE best, for years now.

Since he took over on March 25, 2013, the Lightning have the second-best record in the league at 472-239-65. He won a Presidents’ Trophy in 2018-19 with a ridiculous 128-point year. Cooper has also guided the Lightning to a top-eight finish in the NHL in seven of his nine years as a coach.

Oh, and he’s got those two Stanley Cup rings too. I know the playoffs don’t count for Jack Adams voting, but I wanted to add that because it shows his quality as a bench boss.

The fact that Cooper doesn’t have a Jack Adams Award yet is absolutely bananas to me. 

How To Bet On Jack Adams Award

This is a bet in which you would look at the Jack Adams odds well in advance of the final game of the season and back a specific coach to win coach of the year. Let’s say you want to make a futures bet today at your sportsbook of choice. The Jack Adams odds might look something like this:

For Jack Adams Award futures, the coach with the lowest Jack Adams odds is favored to win the coach of the year, and the rest are underdogs.

Let’s say you feel strongly about Jon Cooper finally winning the Jack Adams. If you were to bet $100 on him and he ended up winning it, you’d get a payout of $300 – your original $100 is returned along with your winnings of $200. Our odds calculator will show you how much you’d win based on the odds and amount bet.

When betting on the Jack Adams Award, you want to look for one of two things. First, it usually goes to the coach of a surprise team. By that, I mean a team that wasn’t expected to do well when the season got underway.

Second, you want to look for a team that’s put together a strong record. Rod Brind’Amour won his in 2021 putting the Hurricanes two points off the top of the league and holding the best record on home ice at 20-3-5.