No team in the NHL has won more games or collected more points in the regular season than the Colorado Avalanche since Gabe Landeskog lifted the Stanley Cup in 2022.
The Cup has been awarded four times since the Avs prevailed, and every year it has been someone else celebrating. Jared Bednar has been a very successful, process-driven coach, but the lack of a second championship and another surprising playoff defeat last year led to plenty of offseason reflection.
And upon further review, Bednar is ready to make some tweaks.
“I do have intentions of changing my approach a little bit this year because I’ve been with some of these guys for 10 years,” Bednar said Wednesday at Colorado’s media day ahead of the 2026-27 season. “You’re always kind of sort of evolving as a coach.”
Bednar and the Avs have been chasing a second championship to cement their legacy as one of the best teams of this era since the minute they captured the first one … which also ended Tampa Bay’s two-year run at the top of the sport.
The past two playoff exits have been particularly painful. Mikko Rantanen and the Dallas Stars knocked them out with a crazy Game 7 comeback in 2025. The Avs rebounded from that to win the Presidents’ Trophy and roll through the first half of the tournament this past season.
But a four-game sweep by the Vegas Golden Knights left far more questions than answers. What can the Avs do to rebound from it? And what will it take to get back to the top of the mountain?
There’s also a big question specific to Bednar. He’s entering the final year of his contract and, as of Wednesday, there is no extension in place.
“No (update),” Bednar said. ” I’ve talked to Joe (Sakic), and we’re not there yet, so it’s just kind of going business as usual.”
He’s one of five NHL head coaches entering training camp without a contract past this season. None of the others have achieved nearly the same level of success with their current teams.
Bednar is the second-longest tenured coach in the league, behind Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper. He refuted the idea that his contract situation added any pressure.
“I try to operate like I’m trying to prove myself every day,” Bednar said. “I don’t care if I’m considered one of the top coaches in the league or not. The only thing that I want to make sure is that our players feel like I’m the right coach for this team. That’s it. And management and ownership, obviously. I came into this job trying to prove myself and be the best coach I can be for this team, and I’m still trying to do that on a daily basis.”
Still, the typically loquacious Bednar shifted his response to the question about pressure midstream. He said he initiated the idea to tweak some things about how he approaches coaching this team.
It’s a very similar group to the one that racked up a franchise-record 121 points, led the NHL in both goals scored and fewest goals allowed. There are 17 regulars back from that team, including the top six defensemen and both goaltenders.
“I think there’s a certain amount of trust I have with our team to understand some of the things that I’ve been stressing over the last few years — the analytical side of it, the preparation of our opponent, things that I feel are important and I think they think are important, but I want to try and dial some of that back,” Bednar said. “Spend a little bit more time on our team, individuals on our team, to try and help us improve.”
It’s also clear that Bednar has the full support of the core players. Sakic said as much at the end of last season when he confirmed Bednar would return for an 11th season with the club.
Several of the team’s key figures — Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews and Josh Manson — all backed Bednar on Wednesday given his contract situation and despite four straight playoff exits.
“I brought a list,” MacKinnon said in jest when asked if he’d like Bednar to make any changes to how he coaches the Avs. “No, I think with (Bednar) itap definitely a collaboration. I think we’ll meet as a leadership group, six or seven of us, and talk and chat.
“At the end of the day, itap on the players to play better. We have a great system. We have great people around. I think (Bednar) has done an amazing job of coaching. He has, itap one Cup, but itap still a Cup, and we’ve had a lot of success in other areas as well. I think he’s done a great job.”
Bednar has always been considered a player-friendly coach, particularly for the guys at the top of the roster. That hasn’t always been the case for younger players, though.
In recent years, it’s been a struggle for younger players to earn Bednar’s trust, which has been a mandate before expanded playing time is available to them. Sam Malinski had a breakthrough. Younger, defense-first forwards have done so at times as well.
But the Avs need to develop an offensive-minded young forward or two, and don’t have access to elite talent like they did when MacKinnon, Rantanen and Co. were building towards the 2022 title.
Will Bednar give players like Gavin Brindley and T.J. Hughes more runway to sink or swim at the NHL level? Will his contract status affect how the Avs approach this regular season, particularly if there’s a dip in results at some point?
“It’s a high priority,” Bednar said of developing the younger players. “Just because you’re looking at the age of our team … I’m anxious to see them play and see how they sort of fit into our group. Itap still a tough roster to make, but if those guys are able to get with us and stay with us, we’ve got to put extra work into them. I look at guys like (Zachary) L’Heureux, (Fedor) Svechkov, right out the gate, we’ve got to spend some more time with them.
“Just kind of takes you back to where I was when I first took over with guys like Mikko and (MacKinnon) and some of our young guys and coaching through the American League. It’s part of why I want to change my approach a little bit, spend some more time with individuals, lines, ‘D’ partners. Not just myself, but our whole staff, and trying to improve a little bit that way. Get guys more consistent in their game, give them the attention that they may want, may not, but that they need to try and help our team improve.”
