After a surprising exit by Patrick Roy, the Colorado Avalanche were up against the clock to hire a coach before the season starts. It looks as though they have found their man. First reported by Darren Dreger, Jared Bednar is now the head coach of the Avalanche. Bednar beat out other names like Lane Lambert and Kevin Dineen for the job. Lambert and Dineen both have experience in the NHL coaching, while Bednar has only coached in the ECHL and AHL.
Do the Avs believe they have found a diamond in the rough?
Hearing Jared Bednar as Avalance new coach. May not be finalized at this moment.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) August 25, 2016
Bednar was the head coach of the Calder Cup winning Lake Erie Monsters. The Monsters are the current affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, but as recently as last year the Avalanche were affiliated with the Monsters. The Avalanche also have Chris MacFarland, a former AGM of the Blue Jackets as well. The ties between the two clubs are getting hard to ignore, right down to the mediocrity shared between the two of them. The nice part about both teams is the promising prospects.
Bednar was able to take a Monsters team that was middling at best in the regular season and made them into an unstoppable force come playoff time. He reigned in players like Oliver Bjorkstrand and Zach Werenski as they marched their way to the Calder Cup. Those players will likely play on the Blue Jackets next year and contribute in the NHL, but can he work similar magic with the Avs’ prospects?
He is a risky endeavor but could have a large payoff considering how different his approach is to former coach Patrick Roy. Bednar is also no-nonsense, yet is open to the idea of changing his game plan in the face of adversity. Roy’s arrogance was his downfall. Bednar’s willingness to work with others very well could have been the reason why he was hired.
Is Bednar truly the answer? It’s hard to say. Only time will tell. He is not a bad risk considering the position they were put in.
