Aarif Deen
It’s only been a week since the Colorado Avalanche were eliminated in the Western Conference Final, and changes are already underway.
Most notably, general manager Chris MacFarland departed the organization on Tuesday to accept a promotion with the Nashville Predators. Even before his departure, one of the bigger questions surrounding the Avalanche’s offseason was whether it would have any impact on the future of head coach Jared Bednar.
It doesn’t appear that it will.
Bednar will remain behind the Avalanche bench for the 2026-27 season, according to Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
The news isn’t entirely surprising given that players’ exit interviews were four days ago and nothing had been announced. Bednar is entering his 11th season as Avalanche head coach this fall, having been hired in 2016 — one year after MacFarland joined the organization. Under Bednar, the Avalanche have been one of the top contending teams nearly every season, highlighted by their Stanley Cup championship in 2022.
The real takeaway from Friedman’s report isn’t that Bednar will coach the Avalanche next season. It’s that the organization must now decide whether he’s entering the final year of his tenure in Colorado or the beginning of another long-term commitment.
Bednar signed a contract extension in March 2023 that runs through the 2026-27 season. With just one year remaining on that deal, the Avalanche must decide whether to extend him before the season begins.
Teams generally prefer to avoid having a head coach enter the season as a lame duck, making an extension a logical topic of discussion this summer. The question is whether the Avalanche view Bednar’s body of work as enough to warrant another deal now, or if they prefer to evaluate him and the team’s success through the final year of his contract.
Another factor worth considering is the uncertainty surrounding the front office. While Joe Sakic is assuming GM duties for now, the Avalanche have not indicated whether that arrangement is permanent. If the organization eventually hires a new GM from outside the organization, that person may prefer to have a say in the head coach rather than inherit one already signed to another multi-year extension. It’s one more variable that could influence the decision.
The timing of all of this is also notable because the Avalanche remain firmly in their Stanley Cup window, with most of their roster already under contract for next season.
Bednar’s resume includes a Stanley Cup championship, something only six active NHL head coaches can claim. At the same time, the Avalanche have struggled to replicate that playoff success. This spring’s eight postseason victories were the highest total Colorado has recorded in any season outside of its 2022 Stanley Cup run under Bednar’s watch.
Bednar returning for 2026-27 may not be the biggest takeaway from Friedman’s report. Whether or not the Avalanche choose to extend the longest-tenured coach in franchise history before training camp could be.