When looking at the Vegas Golden Knights, one can see a team with countless contributors. That includes Jack Eichel (26 goals and 64 assists) closing in on the century mark, making him the first Golden Knights player to achieve this. There are also superstars like Mark Stone (18 goals and 45 assists) and Pavel Dorofeyev (30 goals) unleashing a barrage on the NHL.
Of course, the man behind the bench also deserves recognition. Bruce Cassidy has made an incredible impact on the franchise, winning a Stanley Cup in 2022-23. Overall, he has a record of 119-59-20 entering Friday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks. It's easy to see why fans have grown attached to the head coach.
That's especially true with a proven track record. He took the Boston Bruins to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final and won the Jack Adams Trophy in 2019-20. That was enough to entice Kelly McCrimmon after letting go of Pete DeBoer and his underwhelming power plays. Hey, you better move on from Steve Spott at some point, mate.
Given the Golden Knights have continued their unprecedented run this season, it's safe to say Cassidy looks like one of the top head coaches again. He has his team in first place in the Pacific Division and is a lock to make the postseason again. Thus, life is good, man.
But where does he stand in the Jack Adams race? Are there any coaches ahead of him in the power rankings? The funny thing is, there haven't been any rankings for head coaches in this regard. The latest rankings came out in late January. Everyone knows things can change in two months. Therefore, let's refresh the system and see where the Golden Knights' head coach stands.
Where Bruce Cassidy stands in the Jack Adams race (Vegas Hockey Knight edition)
Looking at the Jack Adams race, the best result that came up was from SportsNet. Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery was the overwhelming favorite to win, according to the publication. There's a good reason for that: The Capitals had the most points (103) in the NHL entering Thursday. A combination of Logan Thompson's emergence as a top goaltender and Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky has contributed to this sudden points explosion.
Therefore, it's safe to say he'll stay on top. However, Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets shouldn't be too far behind. Nobody expected the Jets to break through in 2024-25. However, an offensive explosion led by Kyle Connor (37 goals and 49 assists) and Connor Hellebuyck's Vezina Trophy-winning shenanigans have put them atop the Western Conference.
It stands with good reason that Bruce Cassidy would be sitting in third place. Washington and Winnipeg have had incredible seasons that nobody expected, taking the NHL by storm. Still, the Golden Knights have surprised plenty of critics themselves. Losing a wave of forwards in free agency can turn people off heading into the season. Yet, Cassidy and the Golden Knights have managed to thrive just fine.
Ironically, Cassidy's name came up in the third tier of that SportsNet article. He joined names such as Sheldon Keefe of the New Jersey Devils and Jim Hiller of the Los Angeles Kings. But don't be surprised if Vegas's head coach gets more love in the voting in the summer. He's known to work a Vegas miracle or two.