NHL reveals finalists for Jack Adams Award

Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals, Gerard Gallant of the Florida Panthers, and Lindy Ruff of the Dallas Stars are the three finalists for the 2015-16 Jack Adams Award, given to the head coach who has "contributed the most to his team's success," the National Hockey League announced on Thursday.

Members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association submitted ballots for the Jack Adams Award at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced on June 22 at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

Trotz guided the Capitals (56-18-8, 120 points) to the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season club, setting franchise records for total wins and road wins (27). Their 120 points and 29 home wins were just one shy of club records. The Capitals placed second in team offense (3.02 G/G) and team defense (2.33 GA/G). They also ranked among the leaders in special teams (5th on the power play, 21.9%, and 2nd in penalty killing, 85.2%). Trotz is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for the third time.

Gallant led the Panthers (47-26-9, 103 points) to the Atlantic Division title and franchise records for wins and points in a season, besting their previous marks of 43 wins and 98 points established in 1999-00. Florida achieved several other team marks this season, including longest overall winning streak, longest home winning streak, and longest road winning streak. A Jack Adams Award finalist for the first time, Gallant has piloted the Panthers to a double-digit point gain over the previous season in both years at the helm.

Ruff directed the Stars (50-23-9, 109 points) to the Central Division and Western Conference titles and second place in the NHL overall standings. The team was a League-best 28-8-3 by New Year's Day and went on to capture its first division title since 2005-06, first conference crown since 2002-03 and reach the 50-win milestone for the first time since 2006-07. The Stars scored a league-leading 265 goals and recorded the third-best goal differential (+37). Ruff is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for the third time.