Avalanche sign coach Jared Bednar to four-year extension
The Colorado Avalanche have signed coach Jared Bednar to a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2030-31 season, the team announced Wednesday. The deal ends any uncertainty about Bednar’s future behind the Colorado bench heading into the 2026-27 opener.
Jared Bednar was entering the final year of a three-year contract he signed March 21, 2023, before agreeing to the new terms, according to NHL.com. He is beginning his 11th season as Colorado’s coach.
The terms of the contract
The extension covers four years and keeps Jared Bednar with the Avalanche through the 2030-31 season. Specific financial terms were not disclosed. General manager Joe Sakic announced the move in a statement, and Bednar had said leading into training camp that the two sides were in discussions to get a deal completed, according to ESPN.
What it means for the Avalanche
The extension locks in coaching continuity for a core group that includes Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog. Sakic praised Bednar’s command of the locker room in explaining the decision.
“He commands the room and has complete confidence of the players,” Sakic said in a statement. “We’re excited to continue to have him in charge, and we believe that his presence maximizes the team’s potential while this core group is intact.”
The deal comes months after Colorado’s Presidents’ Trophy-winning season ended in a Western Conference Final sweep at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights. In June, Sakic had indicated Bednar and his coaching staff would remain in place, but the playoff sweep created doubt about the coach’s future until the extension was completed Wednesday.
Bednar’s track record
Jared Bednar owns a 445-262-75 record in 782 regular-season games, the most wins in franchise history. He is also 60-40-1 in 101 Stanley Cup Playoff games, a stretch that includes the 2022 championship built around Makar, MacKinnon and Landeskog.
Colorado has reached the playoffs in eight of Bednar’s nine seasons, missing only in his first year in 2016-17. The Avalanche set a franchise record with 121 points (55-16-11) last season en route to the Presidents’ Trophy. Bednar is also the only coach to win championships in the ECHL, AHL and NHL, having led South Carolina to the ECHL title in 2009 and Lake Erie to the AHL championship in 2016.
At 54, Bednar is now the second-longest tenured coach in the NHL behind only Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who was hired in March 2013.
“I’m extremely happy and grateful to continue leading this group,” Bednar said in a statement. “My family and I have loved being a part of this organization from the beginning, and I can’t thank the Kroenke family and Joe Sakic enough for their support. I look forward to working hard each day this season and beyond to accomplish our goal of winning another Stanley Cup.”
What’s next
Bednar’s new deal is already official, and he will be behind the bench when the Avalanche open the 2026-27 season at home against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.