It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. We’ve already started the second round, but the teams that were eliminated are still being talked about. Some clubs took big swings at the trade deadline only to see their season go up in smoke. General managers must now wonder if there needs to be some changes made. Some clubs will go for subtle ones while others may make drastic ones. However, it’s not just players that could be on the move.
A number of questions have been asked about longtime head coaches with their stays in the Stanley Cup Playoffs being so short. One team that had some coaching chatter is the Colorado Avalanche. This edition of NHL rumours deals with the future of their head coach.
All NHL Rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Future of Colorado Avalanche Bench Boss for Next Season
Rumour: The Avalanche had their end-of-season media availability and the question of head coach Jared Bednar’s future was brought up.
Analysis: Colorado General Manager Chris MacFarland said that Bednar would be back for next season. Bedar’s contract reportedly runs through the end of the 2026-27 season. This means there’s no worries about him being a lame duck head coach.
However, there were some questions on if Bednar would be brought back behind the bench. The Avalanche made some big moves at the trade deadline in getting Charlie Coyle, Brock Nelson and Ryan Lindgren at the trade deadline. Colorado also made the hard choice of dealing Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and got Martin Necas and Jack Drury as part of the deal. MacFarland also made over the crease in picking up Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood.
However, those moves didn’t get them a deep run in the post-season. Colorado has only won one playoff series since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2022. The Dallas Stars have eliminated Colorado in two straight seasons.
One wonders if Bednar’s time at the helm in Denver has run its course. However, MacFarland and president Joe Sakic said the Cup-winning head coach would return next season.
What It Means
Despite the vote of confidence, one has to think that the pressure is on the 53-year-old head coach to get Colorado deep into the post-season. The Avalanche have taken some big risks only come up snake-eyes the last few seasons.
Colorado did make one change behind the bench in firing assistant coach Ray Bennet on Tuesday. Bennett, who oversaw the team’s forwards and power play, had been with the team for the last eight seasons. The Avalanche do have some talented forwards, but their extra-man units struggled putting pucks in the net this season. Colorado’s power-play rating was 13.6 percent in the playoffs.
MacFarland still believes the window is plenty open for Colorado to get another Stanley Cup. The Avs have to do some fancy footwork to address some issues in their lineup. However, they have a talented roster that can contend if some tweaks are made.
Bednar will be allowed to coach this team, but the pressure is on for a long run. The Avalanche need to bury some of these recent playoff ghosts sooner rather than later.
Main photo by: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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