John Cooper, Dan Muse, Lindy Ruff for Coach of the Year

John Cooper, Dan Muse and Lindy Ruff have been named finalists for the Jack Adams Award, the NHL announced Friday.

Adams is awarded to the head coach who is “considered to have contributed the most to the success of his team.”

Cooper, who is the NHL’s longest-tenured coach, gave the directive Tampa Bay Lightning In their ninth straight playoff appearance. The 58-year-old coached the team to five 50-win campaigns and seven 100-plus point seasons.

Under Cooper, the Lightning ranked in the top five in goals per game and had the fewest goals allowed per game. They also finished with the No. 3 penalty kill in the NHL with an 82.6% success rate.

A three-time Adams finalist, Cooper is looking to win the award for the first time in his career. If so, he would become the second coach in Lightning history to win the Adams, behind John Tortorella.

Muse, who was hired by the Penguins last offseason, took a team that had missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons and sent it back the following season. Pittsburgh would eventually lose to a cross-state rival in the first round Philadelphia Flyers.

In his first NHL season, Muse, 43, was forced to make a series of adjustments to his lineup. The Penguins navigated injuries and inconsistencies in a season that saw them play a league-high 44 players.

If Muse were to win, he would be the first rookie head coach to capture Adams since Patrick Ray in 2013-14. He is the third coach in Penguins history to join the finalists, Dan Bylsma and Michel Therrien. Bylsma won the award in 2010–11.

Ruff, who is in his second stint with the Sabres, led the club to its first playoff appearance in 14 seasons. The Sabres’ postseason drought was so long that they entered the season tied with the NFL’s New York Jets for the longest streak without making the playoffs in major American sports.

Under Ruff, the Sabers had the third 50-win season in franchise history. They finished with 109 points, the fifth-highest total in club history. It was also the Sabres’ first division title since 2009-10, which came during Ruff’s first run with the team.

The Sabres’ 30-point improvement was the second-largest increase since 2024-25 San Jose Sharks.

Adams, the 66-year-old coach, led the Sabers to a 53-win season in 2005-06 that ended in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s his fifth time as an Adams finalist, tying him with Scotty Bowman, Alain Vigneault and Tortorella for the most in NHL history.

Adams voting was done by members of the NHL Broadcasters Association who submitted their ballots at the end of the regular season. The top three coaches in the vote have been finalized.