Flynn’s Take: What Makes Avs Head Coach Jared Bednar Successful

The Colorado Avalanche are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, but it was not an easy road to get there. Head coach Jared Bednar played a major role in the team’s success through a challenging regular season.

The Avs dealt with numerous injuries and trades, which posed difficulties in finding chemistry and a rhythmic group. Forty-nine different players suited up for Colorado in the 2024-25 season, and only 12 from the opening night roster remain in the lineup.

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“We’re obviously really happy that we secured that spot. That’s the first step, and the first goal that you set in training camp,” Bednar said after the Avs clinched a playoff berth. “(It) takes a long time to get here and a lot of hard work, but proud of our guys for accomplishing that and doing it under tough circumstances.”

The team began the season missing two important players from the 2023-24 season — Artturi Lehkonen, who was recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and Valeri Nichushkin, who was suspended until mid-November. Jonathan Drouin was injured in the season opener and missed 16 games, then Ross Colton broke his foot on Oct. 28 and missed nearly a month and a half. Needless to say, they did not have a good start.

One-third of the way in, the Avs were barely above .500 in points percentage with 28 points in 27 games on Dec. 5. They had just traded for Scott Wedgewood and acquired Mackenzie Blackwood four days later. That’s when the tables shifted.

The second third of the season, the Avalanche improved from 14-13-0 to 17-8-2. The organization also made the biggest trade of the season during that period, sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and picks. That not only changed the landscape of the team, but it also altered the dynamic of the room.

“Some guys respond to different things better than others. Some guys need to be coached harder and maybe a little more sternly, whereas other guys, you might need to back off a little bit,” Logan O’Connor said about Bednar’s coaching style. “He does a great job of analyzing the different personalities and knowing how guys will react to constructive criticism and how he wants to go about that, and talking guys through those situations to make sure his message is clearly delivered to each guy.”

The last third of the season, several trades brought Charlie Coyle, Jimmy Vesey, Ryan Lindgren, Brock Nelson, and Erik Johnson to the Avs. They went 18-8-2 down the final stretch, finishing third in the Central Division with 102 points.

“No guy’s the same, no player’s the same, everyone handles things differently, and to get a good grasp on each individual and the team as a whole — it’s an impressive thing to be able to do that, handle that as well as he does,” Coyle said.  “(To) get to see it firsthand how he does that is really special. And a lot of that stuff is kind of behind the scenes that you don’t see, but we see it, we understand it. And he does a really impressive job of it.”

Despite getting his team to the playoffs through the adversity of this season, Bednar doesn’t appear to be in the running for the Jack Adams Award. Only two coaches in franchise history have won it — Marc Crawford (1995) and Patrick Roy (2014). His performance alone should have put his hat in the ring, and his players’ response to his impact on their play as individuals and a team speaks volumes.

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“He’s a champion for a reason. We had that next guy mentality the entire season, but it also depends a lot on him getting the right line combinations going, and getting everybody hyped up for games when it’s not the lineup that we wanted from day one of training camp,” Colton said. “He stuck with us, he made us believe every night we can get two points. And we stuck with it there through a lot of the grind of the season. Then we got guys healthy and then we go on a run. So, yeah, just a testament to him and the character he has and the stuff that he does, not only on the ice, but in the video room and one-on-one meetings, stuff like that, have been awesome.”

Bednar has the longest tenure of any coach in the franchise’s history. He is in his ninth year behind the bench, and his current contract extends through the 2026-27 season. He joined the Avs three years after Nathan MacKinnon was drafted and has played a huge role throughout the elite forward’s career.

“He’s one of the best coaches in the league. He’s been with us for a long time, and it’s not easy for him to have all these different players, not easy for anybody. So, yeah, it’s just every year, it’s like that,” MacKinnon said.

“That’s the hardest thing is be consistent. And having new bodies all the time is not easy for Bedsy … he has to play players, so it affects him a lot but you wouldn’t know. It’s frustrating for him, I’m sure he just wants to coach the team … but that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Bednar’s calming presence and how he handles his players were the main attributes the team listed. Drouin said Bednar was a factor in his decision to sign a contract with the Avs.

“One of my favorite coaches I’ve ever had. So he’s one of the reasons I wanted to come back as well last year. Just like his demeanor, how he coaches, he’s very intelligent. Like you said, 49 different players. We got some lineups where you’re kind of looking down and up, and it’s a little different,” Drouin said.  “He’s done a very good job, all the staff has done a good job all year to kind of keep it where it has to be. We got some help after the deadline and kicked off. What he did with the staff to kind of keep the boat rowing.”

Bednar may not win the accolade for best head coach in the NHL, but he earned the most important awards from his team — appreciation and respect. GM Chris MacFarland knows his coaches worth too.

“You know how I feel about our coaches, but Jared does a great job. I think he’s thoroughly prepared. I think he has a good connection with all of our players. I think he’s done a great job for many, many years,” MacFarland said.

“Not only Jared, but I think our players, as an extension of the coaching staff, do a heck of a job for us.”

Watch more videos from players about Bednar on the Colorado Hockey Now YouTube channel.