Just before the St. Louis Blues gave another home beatdown on the Winnipeg Jets, 5-2, there was an announcement on who could be the Coach of the Year. Not to much surprise, Scott Arniel of Winnipeg was nominated for, and will likely win, the award for his first-season Presidents' Trophy run in the regular season. The opposition is Spencer Carbery of Washington and Martin St. Louis of Montreal.
Leaders behind the bench. 🫡 #NHLAwards
— NHL (@NHL) May 2, 2025
Scott Arniel, Spencer Carbery, and Martin St. Louis have been named as finalists for the Jack Adams Award. The award is given annually “to the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success." pic.twitter.com/2O4ghN6itj
So, how do the Blues fit into this discussion. Well, there can only be three finalists for this prestigious award, meaning that there are 29 other coaches who are on the outside looking in. Those 29 other coaches are not worthy of being claimed as the best coach in the NHL for the 2024-25 season. But, there is an argument to be made that there is one name on that long list that should have been nominated for this award, and without a shadow of a doubt, will get some votes.
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery should be on that ballot.
Snubbed?
This is not to discredit the three nominees, as they all deserve to be placed on this ballot for good reasons. But, there should be a fourth name, as Montgomery had a season so impactful that the Blues may have gone from a full rebuild to Stanley Cup contenders on an annual basis almost overnight.
Montgomery, who started this season as the head coach of the Boston Bruins, was quickly relieved of his duties in Boston and picked up for the enormous responsibility in St. Louis. What followed was a roller-coaster season with an unbelievable ending. But the story has not entirely ended, as the Blues recently forced a game seven with Arniel's Jets.
Since coming to the Blues, Montgomery has led this team into the playoffs with a 34-18-7 record, including that magical 12-game win streak near the end of the season. That win streak helped put the Blues in this wonderful position.
Could he have gotten some votes?
If the NHL were to make an exception and have Montgomery as a fourth potential coach to win this impeccable award, could he gain some votes? The consensus is that Arniel will win this award, likely unanimously, and both Cadbury and St. Louis will be fighting for second place with second-place votes.
Montgomery could have gotten some votes, but not in first or second. Likely, he wouldn't have gotten a third-place ballot either. But as the best coach of the 29 guys that did not see their name called alongside Arniel, St. Louis, and Cadbury, that is something to hang your hat on.