NHL Coach of the Year Odds: Lightning's Jon Cooper Closing Fast on Sabres' Lindy Ruff in Jack Adams Award Race
The NHL Coach of the Year race is neck and neck between Lindy Ruff and Jon Cooper as the Tampa Bay Lightning are closing in fast. Can Ruff and the Sabres hold him off? Peter Alexis breaks down the Jack Adams Award odds for NHL's best coach entering April.
Peter Alexis - April 1, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT
4 Minute ReadNHL Coach of the Year Odds: Can Sabres' Lindy Ruff Hold Off Hot Charging Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning for Jack Adams Award?
With just two weeks left in the NHL regular season, the Jack Adams Award has become another tight two-man race. Lindy Ruff sits as the favorite at -180, but Jon Cooper is right behind at +160, and the standings make the debate even sharper. Buffalo has surged all the way to first place in the Atlantic Division, while Tampa Bay is sitting just two points back after one of the strongest closing runs in hockey.
The core question is simple. Is Ruff’s job of dragging Buffalo out of the basement and turning the Sabres into a division leader more impressive, or does Cooper deserve the nod for steering another elite Tampa Bay finish, especially with how hot the Lightning have been in March? Both cases are real, and with seeding still in flux, the final week and a half could decide it.
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2026 NHL Coach of the Year Odds
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NHL Coach of the Year Odds Breakdown
Lindy Ruff (-110) Check out these best odds at Caesars Sportsbook
Ruff’s case begins with the scale of Buffalo’s turnaround. The Sabres are 45-20-8 after Tuesday’s win over the Islanders, and they have gone 33-6-4 since Dec. 9, a stunning run that pushed them from longshot status into the top of the division. Buffalo is also chasing its first playoff appearance since 2011, which only strengthens the sense that this has been one of the league’s most dramatic team transformations.
The narrative also matters. Ruff is not new to Buffalo as a hockey figure, but this is his first season back in charge after returning to coach the Sabres in 2024, and he has quickly restored structure and belief to a team that had spent years wasting young talent. That kind of franchise-level shift is usually exactly what this award is built to honor, especially when it comes with a division lead entering April.
Jon Cooper (+160) Check out these best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
Cooper’s argument is built on sustained excellence and a huge late charge. Tampa Bay is 46-22-6 after Tuesday’s loss in Montreal, but before that defeat the Lightning had put together an eight-game point streak and had climbed to the top of the Atlantic on Sunday. They are 5-0-2 in their last seven and 12-1-1 in back-to-backs this season, which speaks to just how organized and resilient they have been under Cooper’s leadership.
Cooper has been with Tampa Bay since 2013, and that longevity can work both ways in this market. Sometimes familiarity hurts a candidate because excellence starts to feel expected. But there is still real value in keeping a veteran contender sharp, connected, and dangerous year after year, especially when the team is charging late and pressing Buffalo for the division. If Tampa Bay finishes on top, the momentum behind Cooper could get very real very quickly.
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