In September, Carol Schram of The Hockey News listed Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato as one of five top candidates to take the Jack Adams Award.
On September 13th, 2022, Carol Schram listed their top five candidates to win the Jack Adams Award. Among them was Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato. Nearly five months later, here we are at the All-Star break, where Granato led the Blue and Gold to a 26-20-4 record (56 points), and just one point behind Pittsburgh for the second wild card spot.
Granato, who took over the job in March 2021, was given a task not for the faint-hearted. The Sabres were in the middle of an 18-game losing streak and had virtually not a ray of hope during the ill-fated 2021 campaign.
This time last season, things didn’t look much better, as the Sabres sat at just 35 points and a 14-24-7 record. Once again, they were looking at another lottery pick, and yet another missed playoff berth.
Don Granato has turned the Buffalo Sabres into a contender
While Granato’s chances of winning the Jack Adams Award remain slim unless he leads the Sabres to a playoff berth, it isn’t entirely out of the question. With two months and 32 games remaining in the regular season, the NHL’s youngest team has a chance to make the 16-team field in April.
As it stands, Granato checks all the boxes to win the coveted award, but he will also face some stiff competition, namely from Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins. However, doing what he’s done with the league’s youngest team, don’t be surprised if the coach gets more than a fair number of votes, even if the Sabres fall short of the playoffs.
As it stands, Granato remains a viable candidate to contend for the Adams. But the Sabres still have a lot of work to do if they want to see their head coach win one of the NHL’s most prestigious awards.
Article Source: TOP 5 CANDIDATES FOR THE 2022-23 JACK ADAMS AWARD by Carol Schram
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