With Colorado President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Joe Sakic addressing the media today, several topics emerged as the team looks ahead to the future. First off, Sakic confirmed that head coach Jared Bednar will return to the bench in 2026-27, along with his entire staff, speaking to continuity.
Falling flat in the Western Conference Finals to Vegas and being swept was a brutal ending from a Presidents’ Trophy-winning 121-point campaign; enough to at least sprinkle some speculation on if the Avalanche would make a bold move. No news yet slowed any momentum of such talk, and sure enough Sakic emphasized his belief in Bednar today. With a .617 win percentage in 10 years with the Avalanche, and dropping just 16 games in regulation this year, it’s not hard to see why.
Bednar’s club approaches an offseason where they’ll be dead last in cap space ($2.97MM) and needing to round out their defense corps. Still, the roster is largely intact in an attempt to run it back.
Also in Colorado:
- 27-year-old superstar Cale Makar approaches free agency after next season, but Sakic didn’t offer up any changes on the horizon there either, saying he will “end his career here”, relayed by Vic Lombardi of Altitude TV. Coming to the end of his six-year pact worth $9MM per season, the sky is the limit in terms of what his next contract could look like. Projected by AFP Analytics to command eight years with an AAV north of $15 million, it’s already evident that cap trouble is brewing just one year after dealing Mikko Rantanen, sooner than initially hoped. Sakic’s comments today help quash any thought of the top player hitting the open market next summer. Yet even if not, the question that remains is what it will take for Makar finish his career in Denver. Expected to become the highest paid defenseman in league history, naturally there will be ramifications on the rest of the roster.
- A brutal playoff run which left Makar banged up along with others, Sakic says that all players who were injured during the 2026 playoffs are set to be healthy and good to go for training camp next fall, reported by Bailey Curtis of DNVR Avalanche. Besides the player they’ll hope to lock up for the rest of his career, captain Nathan MacKinnon was also far from full strength, along with the key Artturi Lehkonen missing time, and finally, Valeri Nichushkin. All but Nichushkin were in the lineup for the deciding fourth game against Vegas, but that’s not to say they were healthy by any means.
- Joining Sakic on the podium today was President Josh Kroenke of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. The executive spoke on the latest developments for a new practice facility for the Avs, also shared by Curtis. His comments suggest that an official deal with the city is “very close”. Currently practicing at the Family Sports Ice Arena in Centennial, Colorado, Kroenke envisions a new state-of-the-art facility for both the Avalanche and the NBA’s Denver Nuggets to share.