Avalanche players believe Jared Bednar’s four-year extension provides the stability and trust needed as they chase another Stanley Cup.
DENVER — For nearly a decade, Jared Bednar has been the constant behind the Colorado Avalanche bench.
On Wednesday, the Avalanche made sure that won’t change anytime soon.
The organization announced a four-year contract extension for Bednar, keeping the longest-tenured head coach in franchise history behind the bench through the 2029-30 season. For a group that has experienced the highest of highs—and some difficult playoff exits—under Bednar, the announcement was met with plenty of enthusiasm inside the locker room.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog, who has played under Bednar throughout the entirety of his tenure in Colorado, said the Avalanche know exactly what they have in their coach.
“He’s the right coach for this group,” Landeskog said via DNVR. “We know he’s as hungry as we are.”
For Cale Makar, who has been with the Avalanche since being drafted fourth overall by Colorado in 2017, the extension also provides something every team wants: stability.
“We have full trust in him,” Makar said. “For us to have stability like that as a team and to know the direction that we feel comfortable in, I’m confident that we can find success in this group.”
Bednar took over as Colorado’s head coach in 2016. In his first season behind the bench, the Avalanche went 22-56-4 and finished with 48 points, the lowest total in the NHL.
Nearly a decade later, that season looks like the distant beginning of something much bigger.
Landeskog was part of that first team, and he remembers how different the circumstances were.
“I think that year we were all just trying to stay afloat, just trying to stick around, stay in the league, keep our jobs,” Landeskog said.
From that vantage point, it was difficult to know what was coming next.
“At that point, it’s probably hard to see,” Landeskog said.
But the Avalanche began to change quickly.
“Right away the next following year, we started building something special,” Landeskog said.
A few players from those early years remain, but the organization has evolved around them. The Avalanche went from that 48-point season to becoming one of the NHL’s most consistent contenders, eventually winning the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Landeskog believes Bednar’s longevity is part of that transformation.
“You have to be doing a good job consistently to get the chance to stick around for that long,” Landeskog said. “I think that goes for players and coaches, so you have to just consistently be pushing and try to get better every day, and that’s what people are trying to do.”
That consistency has allowed Colorado to remain in contention year after year, even as the roster has changed around its core.
For Landeskog, that is ultimately what matters most.
“I think that’s all you can ever ask for, is to consistently be in the hunt and give yourself a chance,” he said. “Ultimately, players play. Coaches coach. At the end of the day, we have to go perform and do the job.”
Bednar’s new contract ensures that he will continue to be the coach leading that effort.
For the coach, the opportunity to remain in Colorado is something he does not take for granted.
“Nice to be sticking around,” Bednar said. “Love my job. I love working with these guys.”
Bednar has spent nearly a decade building relationships throughout the organization, and he said that remains one of the most rewarding parts of the job.
“Whether it’s our players or management team, everybody all in, trying to pull the rope in the same direction and try to win. You know, that’s exactly what I enjoy,” Bednar said.
When asked if he ever imagined he would make it to Year 10 after that 48-point season, Bednar didn’t hesitate.
“No, I didn’t,” he stated plainly.. “It’s an unforgiving league. Every team, every ownership group, every management group, has a different path and the direction that they want to take. Teams do business differently.”
When Bednar took over the helm, he could not have known that the job would eventually become a decade-long partnership.
Now, the Avalanche have made their choice clear.
“I believe in what we’re doing, and I believe in the people that I work with, and I believe in our players,” Bednar said. “I’m just happy to be part of it and grateful to be part of it.”
For Landeskog, who has been there from the beginning, the extension represents more than simply keeping a coach under contract.
It represents continuity for a group that has spent years building toward the same goal.
And after everything the Avalanche have gone through since that 48-point season, Landeskog believes the standard remains simple: keep pushing, keep improving and keep giving themselves a chance.
Bednar will be there for the next four seasons, leading an Avalanche team with the same ultimate goal that has driven the organization throughout his tenure: winning another Stanley Cup. He knows he’ll have to keep evolving, too, finding new ways to work with younger players while continuing to get the most out of his group.
Now, the waiting is over.
After everything this group has been through, the Avalanche get another chance to chase the Cup, and Bednar will be behind the bench for it. The next chapter starts now.
