The Colorado Avalanche are still reeling from their Game 7 defeat to the Dallas Stars, where they let a two-goal lead slip away in the third period, allowing Mikko Rantanen and the Stars to move on to the second round. In response to the loss, the team dismissed their coach.
The announcement came from general manager Chris MacFarland, who addressed the media alongside Joe Sakic.
He had served as an assistant coach for eight years under Jared Bednar, was mainly in charge of the forwards and the power play. During the seven-game series against Dallas, the Avalanche managed to convert only 13.6% of their power play chances—scoring three goals on 22 attempts.
“In 5-on-5, I thought we played incredible hockey. We just didn’t get it done in those big moments,” Sakic said. “Dallas’s power play made the difference, and ours just wasn’t as sharp as usual.”
Since his hiring ahead of the 2017–18 season, Colorado had the NHL’s fifth-best power play at 23%. But the unit’s struggles during crucial moments in the Stars series were too significant to ignore.
Bennett, a long-time NHL assistant since 1996, previously coached with the Kings and Blues before joining the Avalanche.
Despite Bennett’s dismissal, MacFarland and Sakic made it clear that head coach Jared Bednar would remain in place. “100% confident Jared’s our head coach,” MacFarland affirmed.
Bednar has coached Colorado for nine seasons, reaching the second round just once—during their 2022 Stanley Cup run. He is 0–4 in Game 7s and has failed to defeat Dallas in three separate playoff matchups. While he recently stated he didn’t feel pressure from ownership—especially after the Denver Nuggets moved on from coach Michael Malone—the organization has decided to stay the course with him for now.
The focus now shifts to offseason roster decisions, with MacFarland and Sakic needing to make the most of the remaining prime years of stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. With captain Gabriel Landeskog’s future uncertain due to age and health concerns, Colorado’s championship window may be beginning to close.