The Colorado Avalanche have announced that they have extended their Head Coach Jared Bednar through the 2023-24 season. This two-year deal has been well-earned by Bednar, who took over in 2016-17 and has helped turn the franchise around.
The #Avs have extended Jared Bednar through 2023-2024.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) November 20, 2021
Jared Bednar Extended By Avs
If you would have told Avalanche fans back at the end of the 2017 season that Bednar would still be under contract in 2023 most would have thought you were crazy. The team was fresh off posting one of the worst records in the cap era going 22-56-4 and finishing dead last. However, a massive part of that was former coach Patrick Roy stepped down days before the season started. Meaning that Bednar had absolutely no time to put anything together.
The following year, 43-30-9 and lost in round one of the playoffs. This giant leap was looked on favourably, as was making it to the second round the following year. Lately, the Avs have been one of the best regular-season teams out there. Loaded with elite talent, they are threats at all times. However, during the playoffs, Colorado has not been able to break that final wall. The Avs haven’t made it to Conference Final under Bednar, no doubt the next step.
Going Forward
This team has dealt with a bunch of injuries so far this year. Despite that, they are still 8-5-1 and five points off the division lead with two games in hand. Bednar has shown to be a reliable and solid coach, not just with high-end talent. The depth of the Colorado Avalanche isn’t flashy but constantly outperforms other teams in any metric of possession. While the General Manager deserves credit, so does the coach for making it all work.
There is no doubt that Bednar is a top 10 coach in this league, extending him a few more seasons seems like a no-brainer for Colorado. Now, the team and coach can focus on their ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
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