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Notebook: How Will Head Coach Jared Bednar Spend His Time off During 4 Nations?

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Jared Bednar got hired to coach the Avalanche just as the NHL entered its last best-on-best tournament in the 2016 World Cup. So in a sense, the 4 Nations Faceoff is uncharted territory for him.



Is this the first time he’d had a break in the middle of a season? Of course not, if you’re including the dreaded COVID pause in 2020. But this is a first in the sense that Bednar will have a couple of weeks to reset and enjoy time off, while also prepping his team for the last rush toward the playoffs after the tournament.

“I have a couple of projects that I’m studying with our team, keeping an eye on some of the analytics, and just seeing how it fits our group,” Bednar said. “You have to get a big enough sample size to make sure you’re presenting the right stuff to the team and that it’s accurate.”

He continued: “I have a few things that I want to look at. So there’s a little bit of work, probably in the mornings with coffee, and then I’ll be at the ranch, relaxing, taking some time off, and getting some sleep.”

In 2016, the Avalanche had Matt Duchene, Erik Johnson, Gabriel Landeskog, Carl Soderberg, Semyon Varlamov, and Nathan MacKinnon all representing their respective countries (or Team North America) in the World Cup.

Bednar’s first look at some of his new players was through that tournament. But this time around, five of his biggest names are all going to partake. Three of them for Team Canada — Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and MacKinnon, and two for Finland — Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen.

Are potential injuries a concern?

“No, because everyone’s running that same risk with any player. There are no not top guys going,” he said. “I sure hope everyone comes back healthy and that it’s a clean transition from us to them and then back to us. But there are no guarantees. You’re playing hockey.”

Mackenzie Blackwood Talks Team Canada

I’ll have something more about this just before the break, but I sat down with Blackwood after Sunday’s practice to discuss the possibility of him representing Team Canada in the future. He had some pretty inciteful stuff in there but also made it clear that it’s not top of mind. He was obviously not named to the 4 Nations roster and the 2026 Olympics are still a year out.

What’s most pressing for him right now? Being the Avalanche’s starter and 30-something games away from making his Stanley Cup playoffs debut. The Team Canada stuff will figure itself out over the next 12 or so months.

Where Does Sam Malinski Fit?

Bednar was open and honest about why Malinski was scratched in recent games. He wants the defenseman to get back to playing the game he was earlier in the year before the grind of the NHL season started to possibly wear him down.

“It just looked to me like his game was on a little slide decline. So it can be fatigue, [Malinksi’s] not used to playing this pace, this level, practicing all the time,” Bednar said. “So it looked to me like he was getting worn down, not playing with as much energy and physicality as he brought earlier in the season.”

It doesn’t mean Malinski won’t have a chance to get back in the lineup. But it is an opportunity for him to reset.

“If he’s continuing to play great, I’m not pulling him out,” Bednar said. “So it’s partly his play, and it’s partly taking a step back and getting to work in the gym for a little bit, and then he’ll find his way back into the lineup and hopefully responds and plays better.”

But where does Malinksi fit? The Avs continuing to play Keaton Middleton on the third pair makes me feel like they’re in the market for a physical defenseman.

I don’t know if this particular player would be on the market — it’ll depend on Utah Hockey Club remaining in the playoff race. But I wonder about someone like Ian Cole. He’s got familiarity with Colorado and he’s actually gotten better over the past couple of seasons. He’d be the type of player I can see holding the fort down on the right side of the third pair behind Makar and Josh Manson.

I still wonder what a trade like that would mean for Malinski. He’s a great puck-moving defenseman but the Avs have a surplus of that. Malinski has trade value and could help fetch the guy you want for the postseason.

We’ll see how it all unfolds over the next six or so weeks.

Cole will be on the soon-to-be-released CHN trade board.

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