UPDATE 1:03 PM: Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland says Jared Bednar will “100 percent” be back as Avs head coach, disqualifying them from the list of potential suitors for Rick Tocchet.
ORIGINAL STORY:
As more teams drop out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the coaching change speculations continue to spread like wildfire across the NHL. And since the Vancouver Canucks confirmed Rick Tocchet would not be returning as head coach, he has been one of the top names floating around the league to fill one of the numerous vacancies.
Now, a very interesting team is entering the conversation of possible destinations for Tocchet. On Donnie & Dhali Monday, Rick Dhaliwal shared that the Colorado Avalanche are a possible destination for the former Canucks coach.
“As expected, hearing very good interest in Rick Tocchet,” Dhaliwal said. “Interviews are going to pick up this week around the NHL, with the first round of the playoffs over. Keep an eye on Colorado. Jared Bednar, what happens if they let him go, they haven’t had a lot of success coming.”
Bednar has been at the helm of the Avalanche since he was hired in August 2016 to replace Patrick Roy, but some feel his job may be in jeopardy after Colorado allowed a late Dallas Stars comeback in Game 7 to suffer yet another early exit.
He coached the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances in nine years, including the franchise’s third Stanley Cup in 2022. Since that championship run, they have failed to pass the second round. Bednar is currently the second-longest tenured head coach in the NHL, behind only Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who has been with the team since 2013.
If the job opens up, Tocchet would likely be a strong candidate for the position. At the same time, it doesn’t align with Jim Rutherford’s comments that Tocchet desired to move back East in order to be closer to his family. But according to Dhaliwal, Tocchet is considering all options.
“I’ve been told that’s not 100% accurate,” Dhaliwal said of Rutherford’s comments. “If Seattle calls, Anaheim calls, you got to listen… There’s good interest in talking out there for sure.”
In the fallout from the Avalanche’s exit, and with organizations looking to get their coaching team together heading into the summer, this story is sure to continue to develop over the coming weeks.
