As the regular season comes to a close, the winners of trophies across the NHL are being decided. One of those trophies is the Jack Adams Award, which goes to the best head coach in the NHL that season.
Recently, NHL tweeted out voting for the Jack Adams Award among 16 writers at NHL.com and there were certainly some coaches that are expected to be in consideration, like Spencer Carbery and Martin St. Louis. Meanwhile, LA Kings head coach Jim Hiller did receive some votes, as he had 12, but there was a significant gap between Jim Montgomery, who was fifth, and Hiller.
Jim Hiller's resume in his first full season as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings is impressive
It is remarkable that Hiller didn't receive more votes as he not only should be in consideration but a legitimate choice for the award. In what has been essentially his rookie season as head coach after he replaced Todd McLellan midway through the season, the Kings are set to finish second in the Pacific Division. This will be the highest finish within the division since the 2015-16 season and while they won't get any higher than second, they can still make franchise history.
The win on Tuesday night over the Seattle Kraken moved them to 105 points on the season and that ties the franchise record that was set all the way back in the 1974-75 season. They have one more game on the season, a home game against the Calgary Flames, and a win or overtime loss will help them own the record out-right.
Aside from the franchise history, the Kings this season have been one of the best defensive teams in the entire league. They currently rank second in goals against per game at 2.44 and have the best home record at 31-5-4.
Hiller has been able to help a number of players achieve career seasons like Darcy Kuemper, Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield, and more recently Andrei Kuzmenko. The Kings are one of the best teams in the league, not because of a star player but because the locker room has bought into what Hiller is saying.
In the end, Jim Hiller probably won't get much consideration from the voters for the award but what he has been able to do this season definitely warrants recognition.