Given the grueling nature of the NHL playoffs, teams rarely consider a third-round exit disappointing. However, that’s the reality for the Colorado Avalanche after recording 55 wins and the ninth-most points by a team in regular-season history.
Colorado’s window is slowly closing as its core players of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are in the prime years of their careers, so what’s next for general manager Chris MacFarland and company as the Avalanche enter a pivotal offseason?
TOP NEWS
Jared Bednar — to keep or not to keep
In the current landscape of the NHL, the most likely reaction to the early exit would be for the Avalanche to fire head coach Jared Bednar. Coaches have been fired for less — look at the Vegas Golden Knights, who fired Bruce Cassidy while the team sat in a playoff position.
The critical aspect of firing a coach that is often overlooked is the quality of coaches on the market. A prime example of this was last year’s Dallas Stars, who fired Peter DeBoer after three straight conference final appearances to bring in Glen Gulutzan.
Gulutzan’s resume isn’t exactly stellar, as he has been fired within two seasons of each of his head coaching stints in the NHL, and led the Stars to a first-round exit for the first time in four seasons this year. It may be too early to label the hiring a failure, but it’s a glaring reminder to franchises that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Bednar, like DeBoer, is one of the more accomplished coaches in the league, so MacFarland shouldn’t give up on him if there isn’t a better replacement out there.
Looking at the coaching market, Cassidy is the most intriguing candidate from the ever-evolving coaching carousel. Cassidy won the Jack Adams Award for the NHL’s coach of the year with Boston in 2020, led Vegas to a Stanley Cup in 2023, and ranks 33rd all-time in wins by a head coach.
Colorado’s search for a head coach may take them far— or it may take them down the street. David Carle, head coach for the University of Denver, is one of the most accomplished coaches in all of hockey despite being only 36 years old. Carle led Denver to three NCAA Championships in eight seasons, and the U.S. team to back-to-back gold medals at the World Junior Championships.
He has been persistent in wanting to coach at the college level, but a head coaching position six miles from your current role may be convenient enough to make the switch. If he is interested, Carle would be an excellent option to rejuvenate this Avalanche team.
What to make of this current core
The Avalanche made light work of the first two rounds, sweeping the LA Kings and beating the Minnesota Wild in five. It’s hard to make any blanket judgments on this core given the injuries to Makar in the first two games and MacKinnon playing injured in Games 3 and 4.
With that being said, there are a few takeaways from Colorado’s 13-game playoff run.
First and foremost is the power play, which went 1-for-10 in the third round against the Knights. This is unacceptable for a team with game-breaking talent like Makar, MacKinnon, and Martin Nečas. The regular season was no different, as the Avalanche went from 24.8% on the man advantage last season to 17.1% this year.
Assistant coach Dave Hakstol was brought in last year to run the power play, but it’s clear he isn’t the answer. Finding his replacement should be the top priority for MacFarland, as a competent power play is almost a necessity for building a contending team.
Brock Nelson is the most obvious dead weight on an otherwise loaded roster, recording two goals and three assists in the playoffs, with both of his goals being empty netters. Nelson is entering year two of a three-year $7.5 million deal that features a full no-move clause through the second year of the contract, and a 15-team no-trade list in the final year.
Realistically, the Avalanche can’t move off of Nelson until the 2027-28 season, and will have to hope he can perform when it matters most next year.
MacFarland built a team without the future in mind
Colorado’s moves have been about as win-now as they get, shipping out every first-round pick and prospect in its cabinet for players on the wrong side of 30. The rise of Sam Malinski was a nice surprise, but there likely aren’t any more reinforcements coming from the pipeline.
As Colorado enters the 2026 offseason, management knows that this is likely one of the last chances to put a legitimate contending team around future Hall of Famer MacKinnon.
