Head Coach Jared Bednar Has Seen Enough of Avalanche's Inconsistency
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The Colorado Avalanche have enough talent to compete with just about anyone in the National Hockey League.
They also have a frustrating habit of making things considerably more difficult than necessary.
And Jared Bednar is growing tired of watching it happen.
Following the Avalanche's 7-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, Bednar made it clear that the team's inconsistent play can no longer be dismissed as an early season problem.
Change is Coming
With 16 games in the books, Bednar believes the time has come to consider something different.
"We're a fifth of the way through the year now, so now I have to change my approach," Bednar told reporters, according to Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette.
It was a revealing admission from a coach who has experienced just about everything during his tenure in Colorado.
Bednar guided the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup in 2022 and has established himself as one of the NHL's most respected head coaches.
He knows what a championship-caliber team looks like.
He also knows when one isn't playing up to its potential.
Tuesday's performance against the Blue Jackets offered another troubling example.
The Avalanche entered the game riding a three-game winning streak, including a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks the previous evening.
The Avalanche had overcome a two-goal deficit against the Blackhawks, scoring five unanswered goals to get the victory.
Less than 24 hours later, the Avalanche looked like a completely different team.
The Blue Jackets scored just 28 seconds into the game and eventually built a 6-1 advantage during a disastrous second period.
Goaltender Scott Wedgewood four goals on nine shots before being replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood.
Charlie Coyle finished with two goals and four points, while former Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin contributed a goal and an assist.
Cale Makar had a goal and an assist, while Nathan MacKinnon collected two assists.
But their contributions weren't nearly enough to overcome the defensive breakdowns.
The Blue Jackets scored four times in an 8:23 span during the second period, turning a competitive game into a rout.
For Bednar, the most concerning aspect wasn't just the final score.
It was how familiar the performance looked.
"Not ready to check right from the drop of the puck," Bednar said, according to Rawal. "It wasn't just the start. Continued on to the whole night."
The Avalanche have now lost four of their last five road games.
That's a troubling development for a team that lost only seven road games in regulation during the entire previous season.
The Avalanche already have five regulation road losses this season.
The difference is difficult to ignore.
Bednar indicated that changes could be coming, particularly regarding how he distributes playing time.
"This game's showing up too much for me," he said.
He added that he would have to reconsider how he handles the bench and rewards players who are performing.
That doesn't necessarily mean significant lineup changes are imminent.
But it does suggest that established roles may no longer guarantee the same opportunities if performances don't improve.
And perhaps that's exactly what Colorado needs.
The Avalanche return home Thursday to face the Nashville Predators, a team that defeated the Avalanche 6-2 on October 25.
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Jason Fink is an NHL writer and lifelong hockey fan who fell in love with the game when he watched Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1987 Stanley Cup Final. When he’s not writing, Jason enjoys spending time with his wife Michelle and their son Theo and daughter Stella. Whether he’s following the latest NHL news or cheering from the rink, his passion for the sport has been a constant throughout his life.