National Hockey League: Sabres’ Remarkable Turnaround and Jack Adams Award Contenders
As the 2025-26 regular season concludes, NHL.com is spotlighting the race for the Jack Adams Award, annually recognizing the NHL’s top coach as voted by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. This year, the Buffalo Sabres’ stunning resurgence under Lindy Ruff is generating significant buzz.
Lindy Ruff describes the atmosphere in Buffalo as “awesome,” noting the palpable energy at KeyBank Center. After enduring an NHL-record 14 consecutive seasons without a Stanley Cup Playoff appearance, the Sabres are experiencing a winning culture that’s invigorating both the team and its devoted fanbase. Six coaches and three general managers previously failed to break the drought before Ruff’s return in 2024-25.
From Last Place to Champions
“I mean, it’s what you should expect when the team is doing well, and everybody’s getting behind the team,” Ruff commented. “I can’t imagine what it’s like for them even just to walk around town, but it’s well-deserved, for sure.”
The Sabres clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, coupled with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings. This leap from 79 points and seventh place last season to 108 points marks their first 100-point season since 2009-10 and their best since 2006-07 (113 points).
Ruff, a previous Jack Adams Award winner (2005-06), is currently the frontrunner, securing 67 of 240 voting points and 11 first-place votes from an NHL.com panel. Jon Cooper of the Lightning trails with 49 points (one first-place vote), while Dan Muse of the Pittsburgh Penguins is third with 40 points (three first-place votes).
A Test of Resilience
The Sabres overcame strong competition from the 106-point Lightning and Montreal Canadiens. With one regular-season game remaining against the Dallas Stars, they prepare for a first-round Eastern Conference matchup against either the Boston Bruins or Ottawa Senators.
“I think you when you look at it, you got to take a lot of pride in the fact that you made the playoffs in a year where this division and this conference was so incredibly tough,” Ruff stated after a 4-2 win against the Lightning. “I think the effort by our group from December-on has been second to none to get to where we’re at.”
Key Players and Turning Points
The Sabres’ success is built on the contributions of key players like defensemen Rasmus Dahlin (2018) and Owen Power (2021), forward Tage Thompson (with his third 40-goal season), and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, whose .919 save percentage is tied for first in the NHL among goalies with at least 20 games played.
The team also demonstrated a newfound ability to thrive under pressure. “It’s important that you have to grind through games,” Ruff explained. “The experience of going through a segment of games like this and then leading up to the playoffs, you’d like it to be hard, and I think every game has been hard. All year long, our team’s got a lot better at that.”
Mid-Season Adjustments
A pivotal moment came on December 15th, when the Sabres found themselves at 14-14-4 and last in the Atlantic Division. The subsequent firing of General Manager Kevyn Adams and the promotion of Jarmo Kekalainen sparked a remarkable turnaround. Buffalo went 36-9-4 with an NHL-best .776 points percentage, recording 18 wins and 38 points since the 2026 Winter Olympics break.
Captain Rasmus Dahlin expressed his joy, saying, “Obviously, unbelievable. I’m happy for the city. I’m happy for all the guys that have been grinding here for years… Wow, this is going to be special, that’s for sure.”
Jack Adams Award Voting Totals
Here’s a breakdown of the voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis):
- Lindy Ruff, Sabres: 67 points (11 first-place votes)
- Jon Cooper, Lightning: 49 points (one first-place vote)
- Dan Muse, Penguins: 40 points (three first-place votes)
- Joel Quenneville, Anaheim Ducks: 22 points (one first-place vote)
- Jared Bednar, Avalanche: 18 points
- Marco Sturm, Boston Bruins: 17 points
- Martin St. Louis, Canadiens: 10 points
- Ryan Warsofsky, San Jose Sharks: 6 points
- Rod Brind’Amour, Carolina Hurricanes: 4 points
- Rick Bowness, Columbus Blue Jackets: 3 points
- Glen Gulutzan, Stars: 2 points
- Rick Tocchet, Philadelphia Flyers: 1 point
- Andrew Brunette, Nashville Predators: 1 point
NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger contributed to this report.
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