There is a competitive race for the Jack Adams Award, given to the league’s best coach — perhaps the strongest race we’ve seen in recent memory. With fewer than three weeks to go until the playoffs begin, nearly half the league’s coaches have a legitimate chance to be recognized as the best.

Some of the longtime best bench bosses, including Jared Bednar and Jon Cooper — neither of whom, somehow, has ever won the award — are in the conversation this year. But newer coaches also have reason to be considered favorites, as do veteran coaches who were in consideration for the Jack Adams in the past and now have returned to the fold.

NHL broadcasters (not writers) vote on this award at the end of the regular season. It wasn’t easy, but we whittled down a list of candidates to eight, plus a few honorable mentions.

Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay

We continue to recognize Cooper as one of the league’s best coaches because he perennially guides one of the most prominent franchises to the playoffs. But Cooper, a two-time Jack Adams finalist, has never won the award and hasn’t been a finalist since 2019. That year, the Lightning had the league’s best record, and that’s as much as the team would like to discuss about that season. That nomination came a year before Cooper won his first championship with the Lightning. This year, Cooper again could be among the league’s three finalists, because he has guided one of the most balanced teams.

Tampa Bay is in the league’s top three in goals for, fewest goals allowed, Corsi and expected goals percentage. It ranks first in high-danger chances for and has a top-10 penalty kill. Yes, the Lightning have a Hart Trophy candidate in Nikita Kucherov and a Vezina candidate in Andrei Vasilevskiy. But Cooper deserves credit for coaching a strong team that could win its first Atlantic Division title since 2019.

Lindy Ruff, Buffalo

There will be groans here about NHL awards being narrative-driven. Fine. But would anyone be wrong to name Lindy Ruff as this year’s Jack Adams Award winner? In a year when the Sabres are on the verge of ending a lengthy playoff drought? Ruff and the Sabres haven’t had it rough since early December. Their run to the top began as they were transitioning from general manager Kevyn Adams to Jarmo Kekäläinen, and it could lead to the Sabres winning a division title and having the Eastern Conference’s best record.

The Sabres are 34-6-4 since Dec. 9, the best record by any team in that span. In that period, Buffalo ranks fourth in goals and sixth in goals per game, and fifth in penalty-kill percentage. If Ruff wins, he will have gone two decades between Jack Adams Awards, having previously won in 2006 with the Sabres. The Sabres have a ton of young talent that, perhaps, should’ve had them in the playoffs sooner than now. But Ruff will go down as the coach who finally got them over the hump. And that might be enough to entice voters to choose him.

Jared Bednar, Colorado

The league’s best team that has done everything right (except their power play, for some reason), and Bednar is at the forefront. He should be, at the very least. Considering the Avalanche’s last three seasons, in which they finished seventh and eighth-best in the league, the fact that the Avs are atop the standings this season shouldn’t be held against Bednar — even though the Avs have two all-world players in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

Last year, they were the sixth-best offensive team (goals and goals per game) and 12th-best in goals allowed per game. This season, the Avs are the best in goals for and have allowed the fewest in the league. The Avalanche’s penalty kill has also risen from 12th-best to second-best in the league. Yes, the Avalanche should be a contending team, given the talent they have. But there’s been genuine improvement this season, which has led to the Avs becoming the best team in the league. Colorado’s (likely) rise to the Presidents’ Trophy should help, not hurt, Bednar’s case.

Dan Muse, Pittsburgh

Dan Muse is relatively unknown compared to others on this list. But his performance with the supposedly draft-lottery-destined Penguins has turned many heads. Expectations were low for the first-year head coach, who previously worked under Peter Laviolette with Nashville and the New York Rangers. And despite being a newcomer, Muse has won over the team’s veterans who didn’t want previous coach Mike Sullivan to leave.

The Penguins were once considered a likely draft destination for Gavin McKenna after he finished his collegiate season at Penn State. Instead, the Pens are battling for a playoff spot while hoping injuries don’t do them in. If the Penguins stay afloat and make the postseason, Muse, who leads an aging core with a top-10 offense that is playing well above expectations and projections, might be popular among voters.

Senators coach Travis Green could be a dark-horse candidate for the Jack Adams Award if Ottawa makes the playoffs. (James Guillory / Imagn Images)

Travis Green, Ottawa

In his second year with the Senators, Travis Green continues to help his players progress. The advanced numbers, including Corsi, expected goals against and high-danger chances, have them rubbing shoulders with the NHL’s elite. The only team in the NHL that can match the Senators in shot suppression is Carolina. If not for their issues with goaltending and their penalty kill, the Sens would be worried less about their playoff hopes.

In December and January, a 2-6-1 slide had them falling down the standings toward last place in the Eastern Conference. However, the Senators have since dug out of that hole with a 15-4-3 run since Jan. 25. Ottawa remains in trouble because of injuries to its back end, namely Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot. Which means if the Senators make the playoffs in spite of that, Green deserves consideration.

Rick Bowness, Columbus

Rick Bowness was on a boat with his wife in January when Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell called and asked him to take over the club. Bowness joined a Blue Jackets team that was 28th in the NHL, tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference. He has elevated Columbus into a playoff spot. Bowness deserves a ton of credit for pushing an underachieving Blue Jackets team into a dark horse, endearing himself to the players in the process.

Since Bowness was hired on Jan. 12, the Jackets have gone 19-5-4 and have improved greatly in limiting goals. The Jackets were 19-19-7 when Bowness took over. Now, they’ve become one of the league’s best defensive teams in the second half of the season and one of its biggest surprises. Bowness should be a contender for the Jack Adams this year, especially if his team returns to the top three in the Metropolitan Division.

Rod Brind’Amour, Carolina

There seems to be some fatigue, and maybe even some skepticism, around the Carolina Hurricanes and Rod Brind’Amour. It’s a team that consistently ranks among the league’s best in advanced metrics such as expected goals, chance generation and limiting chances. This season’s Hurricanes are no different, as they are in the top five in goals per game and in the top 10 in goals against per game. So, if coaches such as Bednar and Cooper can get love for the Jack Adams, so should Brind’Amour, who won it in 2021.

The Canes finished second in their division last season, behind the conference-best Washington Capitals. This season, Carolina could be the East’s best team if it can hold off Buffalo and Tampa Bay. And Carolina could make another run to the conference finals. Brind’Amour is again at the forefront of Carolina’s success.

Joel Quenneville, Anaheim

The Pacific Division has been poor, so it is tough to give any of these teams too much praise. At present, none of the teams in the division would hold a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But the Anaheim Ducks are wading in favorable waters and on track for their first division title in nearly a decade and their first playoff appearance since 2018. Veteran coach Joel Quenneville is playing a significant role in the Ducks’ return to prominence.

The Ducks, with a core of young talent, wouldn’t have been faulted for missing the playoffs this season. But Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, Jackson LaCombe and Leo Carlsson are among those who have played above expectations. Quenneville, who won the Jack Adams in 2000 with St. Louis, clearly has elevated the standard in Anaheim, and the players have risen to the occasion with a top-10 offense.

Honorable mentions: Marco Sturm (Boston), Glen Gulutzan (Dallas), Martin St. Louis (Montreal), André Tourigny (Utah), Patrick Roy (New York Islanders)

— Statistics from NHL.com and Natural Stat Trick