To mark the beginning of the 2025-26 regular season, NHL.com is running its first installment of the Trophy Tracker series. Today, we look at the race for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the top coach in the NHL as selected in a vote by the NHL Broadcasters' Association.
This season is a new beginning for Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers.
Sullivan was hired as Rangers coach on May 2, four days earlier leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins as a two-time Stanley Cup champion and with 409 wins that rank first in their history. His arrival is part of a culture shift for New York after its fall from Presidents' Trophy winners to 11th in the Eastern Conference and missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That narrative compelled a panel of 15 NHL.com voters to choose Sullivan as the preseason favorite for the Jack Adams Award. He received 36 out of 225 total points, including three votes for first place on a ballot with 14 of the 32 NHL coaches getting votes and 11 at least one for first. Andre Tourigny of the Utah Mammoth (28 points, two first place) was second followed by Paul Maurice of the Florida Panthers (26, three first place). Behind him were Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning (21) and Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens (20), each with one first-place vote.
"This is a new challenge for me, and I so look forward to the opportunity to be on the ice with these guys," Sullivan said when the Rangers opened training camp Sept. 18.
New York visits the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, MSG) after losing its season opener 3-0 to the Penguins at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. It's at a time when all parties need one another. Sullivan is coming off a three-season regression with the Penguins, dropping from 91 points in 2022-23 to 88 in 2023-24 and 80 last season. The Rangers tumbled from having the best record in the NHL to a 4-15-0 stretch and six points out of a playoff spot that led to the firing of Peter Laviolette on April 19.
"I've had a number of conversations with a lot of the leaders on the team since I was hired throughout the course of the summer," Sullivan said. "It gave those guys an opportunity to get to know me a little bit. It gave me a chance to get to know them a little bit, which I think is an important element of getting off on the right foot here."
That included a visit to Sweden for lunch with Mika Zibanejad, the erstwhile No. 1 center playing right wing on a line with J.T. Miller and Will Cuylle, and later Zibanejad's house for a barbecue. Sullivan is accentuating the value of relationships and at or near the top of his list was helping a 32-year-old recover from a 20-goal, 42-assist season with a minus-22 rating, the 62 points his fewest since 2017-18 (47 points; 27 goals, 20 assists in 72 games).
"It meant a lot," Zibanejad said. "For him to come all the way to Sweden literally for the day was highly appreciative for me and obviously my family as well. It was a nice gesture and a nice start to the season."
One with a lot of change. Gone are defenseman K'Andre Miller and Chris Kreider, a forward once the Rangers' longest-tenured player (since 2012). Vladislav Gavrikov is on the top defense pair with Adam Fox and Miller replaced Jacob Trouba as captain.
Unchanged in New York are expectations and that Sullivan is the one who will turn it around.
"It's hard for me to express in words how excited I am about this challenge and about this opportunity," Sullivan said. "As I said to the players, nothing is inevitable in this game. We're going to have to go out and earn it every day and I look forward to that opportunity with this group."
Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1- basis):
Mike Sullivan, Rangers, 36 points (2 first-place votes); Andre Tourigny, Mammoth, 28 (2); Paul Maurice, Panthers, 26 (3); Jon Cooper, Lightning, 21 (1); Martin St. Louis, Canadiens, 20 (1); Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes, 14 (1); Joel Quenneville, Anaheim Ducks, 14 (1); Sheldon Keefe, New Jersey Devils, 13 (1); Dean Evason, Columbus Blue Jackets, 9; Rick Tocchet, Philadelphia Flyers, 9 (1); Bruce Cassidy, Vegas Golden Knights, 7 (1); Glen Gulutzan, Dallas Stars; 7; Ryan Huska, Calgary Flames, 6 (1); Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs,, 4; Spencer Carbery, Washington Capitals, 4; Travis Green, Ottawa Senators, 3; Jared Bednar, Colorado Avalanche, 1; Jeff Blashill, Chicago Blackhawks, 1; Adam Foote, Canucks, 1; Marco Sturm, Boston Bruins, 1.
NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen contributed to this report
