Jon Cooper Wins the Jack Adams Award. What's It Mean For Jared Bednar?

John Cooper snags the Jack Adams Award, but controversy rises as Lindy Ruff’s remarkable turnaround with the Buffalo Sabres is overlooked. Should the NHL honor overdue coaching excellence, or is the award reserved for this season’s true breakout? Chris Micieli and Zach Pearson debate whether Cooper’s Tampa Bay Lightning tenure finally merited the trophy over Ruff’s miracle run and Dan Muse’s Pittsburgh Penguins surge, while pondering if Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar is next in line.   The hosts break down tight voting margins, dissect Bednar’s long-term prospects, and discuss how GM shakeups could reshape award narratives. Shifting gears, they critique the NHL’s new All-Star Game format—with a five-minute, three-on-three round robin between national teams—and sound off on restricting the skills competition to players under 25. Will these changes spark fan engagement, or is it time to rethink the All-Star break altogether?   Everydayer Club: If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Avalanche Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. https://lockedonavalanche.supercast.com/     Subscribe to our Subtext to talk to us directly! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonavalanche   Everything Locked on Avalanche: https://solo.to/lopn_avalanche   Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…   🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOAvalanche?sid=YouTube   Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL     Follow on X:   Chris: https://twitter.com/c__micieli Zach: https://twitter.com/XavierSuperfly Show Page: https://twitter.com/LOPN_Avalanche   #NHL #coloradoavalanche   ______________________________________________ Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Hims To get simple, online access to personalized, affordable care for ED, hair loss, weight loss, and more, visit https://Hims.com/LOCKEDONNHL.     Indeed Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to https://indeed.com/podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply.   KALSHI For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code LOCKEDON to get ten dollars when you trade ten. Kalshi. Trade on anything.   Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.   5-Hour ENERGY Get candy-flavored chaos with Fruity Rainbow 5-hour ENERGY®️ Shots - available online at https://5hourENERGY.com or Amazon   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.