Shocking shakeup removes Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar's biggest postseason obstacle
Photo credit: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar is breathing a sigh of relief after the big news that rocked the NHL on Friday morning.
About a week after their season ended in the Western Conference Final against Edmonton Oilers, the Dallas Stars fired Peter DeBoer. Bednar has yet to win a postseason series against DeBoer, holding an 0-4 record.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar's biggest postseason obstacle has been resolved.
Will Petersen from Denver Sports writes that the Avalanche captured the Stanley Cup in 2022, but over the past eight years, DeBoer has reportedly ended their playoff runs and dashed Bednar's championship hopes.
"In 2019, DeBoer led the San Jose Sharks past the Avalanche in Game 7 of Round 2. In 2021, with DeBoer behind the bench for the Vegas Golden Knights, they sent Colorado home in six games." -Petersen
In the past two seasons, DeBoer, coaching the Stars, has twice defeated Bednar. In 2024, the series ended in six games with a double overtime thriller. Last month, Dallas won in a decisive seven-game series, cutting the Avalanche's season short once again. With that win, DeBoer improved to 9-0 in Game 7's, while Bednar's record fell to 0-4.
In nine years as head coach of the Avalanche, Jared Bednar has lost in the playoffs seven times. His first year, the team didn't make the postseason. As mentioned in 2022 they won the whole thing. But out of the seven times he's been booted, four of those have come to DeBoer. That's almost hard to wrap your mind around." -Petersen
After the Oilers dispatched the Stars in just five games, and following some eyebrow, raising remarks from DeBoer about his goaltender, it became clear that Dallas management believed a shake-up was necessary.
"Meanwhile in Colorado, Bednar has been given a 100 percent vote of confidence from GM Chris MacFarland. To be fair, the players seem to really like Bednar - that might not have been the case for DeBoer. There's a reason he's bounced around while Bednar has stayed put." -Petersen
Hopefully, DeBoer's next gig lands him in the Eastern Conference, far from the Avalanche's playoff path. Colorado fans would prefer not to see him standing in the way come Stanley Cup Final time.
Previously on Avalanche Insider
| POLL | ||
JUIN 8 | 44 ANSWERS Shocking shakeup removes Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar's biggest postseason obstacle Do you think Peter DeBoer's next coaching job will be with a Western Conference team? | ||
| yes | 16 | 36.4 % |
| no | 28 | 63.6 % |
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