Capitals HC Early Jack Adams Favorite

The Washington Capitals have been a top team in the NHL both on and off the ice.

Dec 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery directs his team against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Washington Capitals barely squeaked into the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, with a 40-31-11 record. This time around, with 17 games to go, the Capitals are the top team in the NHL. They already have more wins than their 2023-24 campaign with a 43-14-8 record.

This turnaround from the Capitals has put the league on notice and made early award predictions veer in their direction. According to the NHL’s recent Trophy Tracker, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery is the favorite to win this year’s Jack Adams Award as the best coach in the league.

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Carbery finished the early vote from NHL.com with 75 points and 11 first-place votes.

The Capitals have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch all season with numerous storylines to follow along with. Captain Alex Ovechkin leads the headlines as the chases Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record.

With a total of 886, Ovechkin is just nine goals away from surpassing The Great One and securing the title of the greatest goal scorer of all time.

At 39 years old, Ovechkin is leading the Capitals in goals, but is only fifth in total points. Dyland Strome is having a coming out year, leading the Capitals in scoring with 20 goals and 44 assists for 64 total points.

Strome is just a few points away from topping his career high in scoring, which came last season with 67 (27G-40A).

Aliaksei Protas is also putting together a breakout season with 58 points (28G-30A), Pierre-Luc Dubois is bouncing back in a big way for 57 (17G-40A), and Tom Wilson continues to improve offensively with a career-high 54 points (29G-25A).

Not only can the Capitals score, but they’re also getting outstanding work from their goalie duo of Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren. Both have earned contract extensions to keep them around after the 2024-25 season, and their numbers reflect how much those are well-deserved deals.

Thompson deserves Vezina Trophy conversation with a 28-4-5 record, .916 save percentage, and 2.36 goals against average. Lindgren holds a 15-10-3 record with a .898 save percentage and 2.64 goals against average.

None of this would have been possible this season without Carbery behind the bench in Washington. In just his second season as an NHL bench boss, he’s leading the top team in the NHL with increasing odds to not only win the Jack Adams but help lead his team to the Stanley Cup.

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