DENVER — Jared Bednar`s position as head coach appears entirely secure, even after the Colorado Avalanche faced another early elimination from the playoffs.
General Manager Chris MacFarland offered a strong vote of confidence on Tuesday, stating, “100 per cent confident Jared`s our head coach,” during a press conference aimed at reviewing the season`s shortcomings.
However, this particular first-round exit against Dallas was especially difficult for MacFarland and team president Joe Sakic to accept. It wasn`t just because former Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen, now with the Stars, was instrumental in their defeat. The sting was amplified because the front office genuinely believed they had assembled a team capable of replicating their 2022 Stanley Cup victory.
“This one stings. I’m not going to lie to you,” Sakic admitted. “We knew we had the team to do it. We feel like this year’s team was on that (2022) level. So that’s why this one’s going to sting. It’s going to sting a little longer than other years.
`We’ll regroup. Great players here, great character. They want to win and we’re going to find a way next year to be in the situation again and try and compete for the Cup.”
One immediate change following the loss to Dallas was the dismissal of assistant coach Ray Bennett, who was responsible for the power play. The Avalanche struggled in this area against the Stars, converting on only 3 of 22 opportunities.
“They (Stars) did everything they needed to be dangerous and scored (in) key moments of the game,” Sakic commented. “We just didn’t have it at the right time. So at the end of the day, when you look at it all, that was the difference.”
Under Bednar, the Avalanche have reached the postseason for eight consecutive years, making him the winningest coach in franchise history. Yet, during this period, their only progression beyond the second round was when they ultimately won the Cup in 2022.
“I went through it as a player as well. Sometimes things just aren’t going to go your way,” Sakic reflected on the series. “We just missed on some opportunities and we didn’t capitalize. But we’ll get back at this again next year.”
Sakic confirmed his involvement in the January 24 trade that sent Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Martin Necas and Jack Drury. Rantanen was subsequently traded by Carolina to Dallas on March 7.
Rantanen proved problematic for the Avalanche in the series, tallying five goals and seven assists, and is expected to continue doing so for the foreseeable future after signing a substantial $96 million, eight-year contract.
“What’s done is done. That happened. We move forward,” Sakic stated. “We were very confident with the group we have here. Listen, we had a really good team here. … It was a lot deeper, a lot stronger than it was to start the year or Christmas time. We didn’t get it done.”
Despite squandering multiple third-period leads throughout the series, Colorado was just over six minutes away from advancing in the final game before Rantanen scored the tying goal.
“Everybody’s frustrated,” Sakic said. “Everybody’s disappointed, just because we felt we were this close to moving on.”
Attention now turns to off-season decisions. Several players, including Jonathan Drouin, Joel Kiviranta, Jimmy Vesey, Brock Nelson, Ryan Lindgren, and Erik Johnson, are slated to become free agents.
MacFarland is open to keeping the core group together, especially with key players like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews, alongside the anticipated full return of captain Gabriel Landeskog.
Landeskog made his comeback in Game 3 after being sidelined for almost three years due to a chronic right knee injury sustained after helping the Avalanche to the 2022 title. He showed no signs of rust, contributing one goal and three assists across five playoff games.
“Listen, nobody knew if he would be able to come back, not even himself,” Sakic commented. “To come back the way he did, it was pretty inspiring.”
Tristan Blackwood