Still under contract for another year is Jared Bednar, the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche.
It would be wise to maintain him in Colorado through the end of that contract given all of his recent success with the Avs over the last ten years.
In the Western Conference Final, the Golden Knights defeated the Avalanche in dramatic fashion. Colorado was unexpectedly wiped out in a Stanley Cup or bust campaign.
Many people believe the Avalanche should replace their head coach because of how they lost. Maybe the voice of Jared Bednar has grown stale in the locker room
However, Colorado lost in Sin City on Tuesday night, and as of Friday afternoon, there had been no news regarding Bednar. Is he at risk of being fired? Naturally. However, it’s possible that Bednar’s destiny would be better if the group remained quiet for longer.
It’s obvious that there would be a lot of suitors if he were fired, though. This year, the team won the Presidents’ Trophy, and in 2022, he was a Stanley Cup winner with the Avs. It’s obvious that he’s a top-tier coach.
And according to NHL insider David Pagnotta, two of those teams have already been identified. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers would be “very interested” in Bednar if he entered the market.
On the “Morning Cuppa Hockey” podcast, which is hosted by Jonny Lazarus and Colby Cohen, Pagnotta made these remarks.
Toronto fired Craig Berube a couple of weeks ago and does not have a head coach at the moment. Around the same time, Kris Knoblauch was fired by Edmonton. Since neither the Maple Leafs nor the Oilers are eager to choose a new boss, they are both holding out to see if Jared Bednar becomes available.
With the assumption that it will be held sometime next week, the Avalanche have not yet announced a season-ending press conference. With president Joe Sakic and general manager Chris MacFarland, that occurred last year.
If Colorado fires Jared Bednar, he’ll be hired somewhere else in a few days, which isn’t rocket science. He has had such success during his time in Denver.
However, expectations are high for championships, and the Avalanche have endured a number of agonizing and heartbreaking departures since they won the Cup four years ago.
Keep an eye out for this since it definitely fits in the stay tuned category.
