Aarif Deen
At Thursday afternoon’s Colorado Avalanche season-ending press conference, president of hockey operations and interim general manager Joe Sakic confirmed that the Avs will not be making a coaching change. Head coach Jared Bednar will remain behind the bench for the 2026-27 season. And neither of his assistants will change, either.
“He’s back. All the coaching staff are back, they’re all under contract, and no plans to make any moves,” Sakic said. “Feel he’s the best coach for our team.”
Dave Hakstol, who was hired last summer to lead the forwards and the power play, is among the returnees. In his first season in Colorado, the Avalanche’s power play finished 27th in the regular season.
“I know the guys appreciate his work. He’s an experienced coach. If you’re going with the power play, I’m kind of with you a little bit. Our power play overall, it wasn’t as good as it could have been,” Sakic said. “We made a change last year in that position, it didn’t work, but I will say once we got [Nazem Kadri] and filled that role on the other side, it was much better after the trade deadline.
“I thought the power play was pretty good the first two rounds, and like our entire game, it was quiet against Vegas. But that was more of an entire unit, whether it’s PK, five on five, or power play, we didn’t get the job done in that last week. We have to be better in certain areas, and that’s an area that we’re going to be better.”
Bednar is in the final season of a three-year contract extension he signed in 2023. Traditionally, coaches of his stature don’t usually enter the final year of their deal without an extension in place. It doesn’t sound like the idea of having a lame duck coach is top of mind for the organization.
Sakic did, however, open the possibility for an extension later in the summer for Bednar, albeit he left it up in the air.
“We haven’t thought about that,” he said. “Right now, the priority is getting through the draft and free agency. Try and make our team as good as possible going into the summer. The rest of the stuff we will push down the line. We’ll figure out later in the summer on all that stuff, but I don’t think he’s worried about it. He shouldn’t be worried about it. The contracts will come when they come.”
Bednar led the Avalanche to a 55-16-11 record, finishing with a franchise-best 121 points and the fourth Presidents’ Trophy in Colorado’s 30-year history. The Avs also went 8-1 through the first two rounds of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
The four-game series loss to the Golden Knights was the third time their season ended in a sweep, and the first since 2008.
The decision to keep Bednar didn’t seem like a difficult one for the front office. When they completed player exit interviews, the confidence in the head coach remained high.
“I think he has absolute belief of the dressing room,” KSE Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke said.
Added Sakic: “He’s got the confidence from the players. We do reflect exit meetings. It’s clear from everybody, from players, the staff, that he’s the right guy. They respect him, they love playing for him, and that’s a big thing. He’s the best coach for the group, and we’re confident in that decision. He’s the voice of the organization, and, like I said, the players really believe in him, and I’m going with the players.”