Jared Bednar to Avalanche: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

The Colorado Avalanche announced Thursday that Jared Bednar would be the team's new head coach, two weeks after former head coach and vice president of hockey operations Patrick Roy resigned. 

Executive vice president and general manager Joe Sakic spoke about the hire on the team's official website:

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After profiling the type of coach I wanted for our team and going through an interview process with several good candidates, I believe that Bednar is the best person to lead this team behind the bench. Jared's track record of success as a head coach in the American Hockey League speaks for itself and he is considered to be one of the top up-and-coming coaches in our business.

Even though we had to accelerate the process with training camp approaching, we feel we met some real strong candidates with a lot of potential to become head coaches in the NHL in the near future. I would like to thank the general managers who gave us permission to talk to key staff members at such a precarious time.

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Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reported that Bednar and Colorado agreed on a three-year contract.

Bednar, 44, was the head coach of the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters (the Columbus Blue Jackets' affiliate) last season, leading the team to a 43-22-6-5 record and a Calder Cup after going 15-2 in the postseason. 

Overall, he's 251-158-42 as a head coach, with stints leading the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays (2007-2009) and the AHL's Peoria Rivermen (2010-2012), Springfield Falcons (2014-2015) and the Monsters (2015-2016). He won the Kelly Cup with the Stingrays in the 2008-09 season. In total, he has 14 seasons of professional coaching experience, both as a head coach and as an assistant.

He spoke about his first NHL head coaching opportunity with Avalanche.com:

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My family and I are thrilled to be heading to Denver to begin this new challenge. I feel ready for this role with the Avalanche and I am grateful for the trust that (Avalanche President) Josh Kroenke, Joe (Sakic) and the organization has shown me. This is a great sports market with a passionate fan base and I can't wait to get to work. I would also like to thank Columbus Blue Jackets organization for the opportunity they gave me.

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Bednar's task will be a unique one. Roy's late resignation means Bednar has less than a month to prepare for his new gig before training camp commences. So not only is he taking on the challenge of his first NHL head coaching assignment, but he also does so with far less time to adjust to his new surroundings and familiarize himself with the roster than the average hire.

Plus, as Adam Gretz of Pro Hockey Talk noted, "Bednar is taking over an Avalanche team that had regressed in each of the past two seasons under Roy and has some pretty significant holes on its blue line."

But according to Gretz, "the cupboard isn't entirely bare." The Avalanche have a solid core, led by forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, defenseman Tyson Barrie and goalie Semyon Varlamov.

In Colorado, the hope is that "perhaps a fresh approach that plays to the strengths of the core players can get even more out of them," as Gretz wrote. The Avalanche are just two seasons removed from reaching the postseason and have registered at least 82 points in each of their last three campaigns, so a postseason berth isn't out of the question in 2016-17.

For that to happen, Bednar will have to hit the ground running. Certainly, the organization will demonstrate some patience, given the unusual circumstances of his hire. But the Avalanche have the talent to be competitive next season.

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