Joe Sakic's latest decision involving Jared Bednar changes everything after Vegas exit
Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Jared Bednar is staying on as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, ending weeks of speculation around his job status.
The news broke Tuesday afternoon through The Mug NHL, citing Friedman, and it lands roughly a week after Colorado was bounced from the second round.
Vegas closed out the Avalanche in four straight, taking the series with a 2-1 win at home on May 26. Colorado scored just seven goals across the four games.
That kind of finish usually puts a coach on the hot seat. Especially one entering his tenth full season behind the bench in Denver.
Bednar was hired on August 25, 2016. He has outlasted entire front offices around the league since then, and now Joe Sakic is keeping him for another run.
The case for keeping him is the regular season. Colorado finished 55-16-11 for 121 points, the best record in the NHL and a plus-99 goal differential.
Why Joe Sakic kept the door closed on a coaching search
The case against him is the same case Avalanche fans have been making since the Cup year. A roster this good, with Nathan MacKinnon putting up 127 points, should not flame out before the conference final.
MacKinnon delivered in the playoffs too. He posted 15 points in 13 games before the wheels came off against Vegas.
So the question becomes uncomfortable. If the roster is built to win now, and the coach has been there a decade, what changes between now and October?
The pressure now shifts to the offseason. Colorado's home record was 26-9-6, strong and dominant, and the road number of 29-7-5 carried the regular season.
Friedman's wording was careful, "it sounds like," which suggests the formal announcement is still coming. The decision itself, though, is made.
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Next year, the bar is not the Presidents' Trophy. It is June hockey.
![Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Sydney Crosby (87) lifts the trophy after defeating the United States during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden.](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/669393.webp "Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Sydney Crosby (87) lifts the trophy after defeating the United States during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden.")
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