NHL Jack Adams Award Rankings: Senators' Travis Green Challenging Bruins' Marco Sturm For Top Spot

With the first month of the 2026-27 NHL regular season nearly completed, Andre Leal breaks down which head coaches have emerged as early favorites for the Jack Adams Award.The NHL is entering week five of the 2026-27 regular season, and the standings are beginning to take some sort of shape. Most teams have played between 10 and 13 games so far, and some clubs have been performing beyond pre-season predictions and expectations.While sometimes that could be the result of a star player carrying the load or a hot goaltender, the success could also be highlighted by the team's head coach, putting the team in positions to win.The Jack Adams Award goes "to the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success." Here are my five front-runners for the award.5. Mike Babcock, Edmonton OilersIt's not surprising to see the Edmonton Oilers doing well considering the talent they have on the team, and reaching the Stanley Cup final in two of the last three campaigns. Related storiesHowever, Edmonton has a history of coming out of the gate very slowly, and in last season's playoffs, their mediocrity all year cost them in the post-season in the first round against the Anaheim Ducks.With Mike Babcock coming in, the Oilers found elite consistency pretty much from the get-go. They had a couple of games early where they allowed an abundance of goals, but that's overshadowed by their 8-1-1 start, which now turned to 8-2-2.4. Jim Hiller, Toronto Maple LeafsIt was tough to predict how the Toronto Maple Leafs would perform this season after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16 last year. But all things considered, Jim Hiller has given this team a chance to be a playoff team in the unforgiving Atlantic Division.Through their first 14 games of the year, they have a 7-5-2 record, which could be better, no doubt. But they deserve credit for some massive victories such as their last win against the Oilers on Saturday and a performance earlier in the season against the Colorado Avalanche.Toronto superstars Auston Matthews and William Nylander have led the way and are among the league leaders in scoring. That's individual success for the players, but Hiller deserves some love for unlocking their offense again, especially with how they weren't as dominant under the previous regime.It should also be noted that the team has still been able to survive huge losses in John Tavares, Chris Tanev, and now Kirill Marchenko could be out for some time.3. Lane Lambert, Seattle KrakenSince expansion and their inaugural season in 2021-22, the Seattle Kraken haven't made plenty of noise in the NHL. They eliminated the Avalanche in the first round of the 2022-23 post-season, but not much else since.However, their start to this campaign has been noteworthy, and without any real stars on the team, head coach Lane Lambert deserves the spotlight in Seattle.Going into the weekend, the Kraken were fifth in the NHL. They have dropped to 11th in the league and are third in the Pacific Division, but where they stand now is a huge overachievement, with many thinking this team would be at the bottom of the barrel going into the year.The Kraken have a 7-4-1 record under Lambert this season.2. Travis Green, Ottawa SenatorsThe franchise received a big loss when former captain Brady Tkachuk demanded a trade and was sent to the Florida Panthers. Despite the belief that the team would take a hit or a step back, the Ottawa Senators have been the opposite.Ottawa has found a way to reach another gear this season, whether it's fuelled by Tkachuk's departure, trusting the process, or anything else, Travis Green is the mastermind. Even William Eklund, who was brought in essentially to replace Tkachuk in the lineup, was only able to play four games with the team before being sidelined for the next 10-plus weeks with an ankle injury. But Ottawa continues to thrive.Now, the Senators are a top-10 team in the NHL and second in the Atlantic with an 8-4-0 record to start the year.1. Marco Sturm, Boston BruinsIn the toughest division, and expected to miss the playoffs by many, head coach Marco Sturm and the Boston Bruins are second in the NHL, only behind the Stanley Cup champions Carolina Hurricanes. Even then, the Bruins are on top of the league in points percentage, having played one fewer game than the Hurricanes.With a 9-2-1 record, eight of those wins have come in regulation. It'll be interesting to see how Boston handles some of the better teams in the league. Their three losses came against some of the best teams in the league (Senators, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars). Their next game against the Hurricanes on Tuesday will be a great indication for Sturm and his team to see if they are indeed the real deal.For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.