The Florida Panthers' Gerard Gallant, Dallas Stars' Lindy Ruff and Washington Capitals' Barry Trotz were announced as the three finalists May 5 for the Jack Adams award as coach of the year, as selected by the NHL broadcasters association. By all statistical measures, these are the right choices, because their teams exceeded expectations by the widest margins.
Coaching metrics were quite simple when they were first introduced in 2009. Essentially, the process is to compare how each coach's team performed relative to preseason expectations. Figuring out the first part of that comparison can be achieved with a quick look at the standings, but it's not as easy to determine how each team would have performed with a league-average coaching staff instead.
So which man is the right choice for the award? And which other coaches exceeded expectations the most this season (and vice versa)?