Following the early elimination of the Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs, Jared Bednar’s position as head coach appears safe.
The general manager, Chris MacFarland, expressed his confidence in Bednar, stating that he has “100% confidence” in him.
The first-round loss to the Dallas Stars was especially painful for MacFarland and team president Joe Sakic, a Hall of Fame member.
The elimination felt even stronger because Mikko Rantanen, former Avalanche player now with the Stars, was the key player who eliminated them with a hat-trick in the seventh game.
This defeat hurts. I’m not going to lie to you. We knew we had the team to achieve it. We felt that this year’s team was at the level of the 2022 team. That’s why it hurts so much. It’s going to hurt a little more than other years.
Joe Sakic
The team had assembled a roster with which it was expected to compete for another Stanley Cup title, as they did in 2022.
As a result of the defeat, the Avalanche fired assistant coach Ray Bennett, who oversaw the power play.
The Avalanche had a poor performance on the power play against the Stars, with only 3 goals in 22 opportunities.
They did everything necessary to be dangerous and score at key moments in the game. We just didn’t have it at the right time. At the end of the day, that was the difference.
Joe Sakic
Under Bednar’s direction, the Avalanche have reached the postseason for eight consecutive years, with Bednar being the coach with the most wins in franchise history.
During that period, they only managed to get past the second round when they won the championship in 2022.
Sometimes things won’t go as you want. We missed some opportunities and didn’t take advantage of them. But we’ll try again next year.
Joe Sakic
Sakic revealed that he participated in the agreement that sent Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes on January 24, where they acquired Martin Necas and Jack Drury. Rantanen was subsequently sent by Carolina to Dallas at the trade deadline, on March 7.
Rantanen was a constant threat to the Avalanche during the series, scoring five goals and providing seven assists.
The Finnish player will continue to be a headache for the team, after signing an eight-year, $96 million contract.
What’s done is done. That happened. We look forward. We had a great team here. It was much deeper and stronger than at the beginning of the year or at Christmas. We didn’t make it.
Joe Sakic
Despite the missed opportunities in the third period, Colorado was 6 minutes and 14 seconds away from advancing before Rantanen tied the score.
Everyone is frustrated. Everyone is disappointed, because we felt we were very close to advancing.
Joe Sakic
Now, important decisions are looming. Forwards Jonathan Drouin, Joel Kiviranta, Jimmy Vesey, and Brock Nelson, along with defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Erik Johnson, are about to become free agents.
MacFarland does not rule out the possibility of keeping the team, especially with key players like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews, in addition to the return of their captain, Gabriel Landeskog.
Landeskog returned for the third game after almost three years without playing in the NHL.
After a chronic knee injury, which kept him out since the 2022 championship, Landeskog showed that he hadn’t lost his touch, with a goal and three assists in five playoff games.
Nobody knew if he could come back, not even himself. Returning as he did was quite inspiring.
Joe Sakic
