General Manager and Coach: The partnership could begin in Colorado

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
General Manager and Coach: The partnership could begin in Colorado
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

Things are really going badly for Colorado right now.

Despite Cale Makar's return to the lineup last night, the team lost. But they didn't just lose the game: they blew a three-goal lead and also lost Nathan MacKinnon for part of the game.

The fans have lost hope… and coach Jared Bednar didn't exactly give them any after Game 3. By his own admission, morale is low right now in the Avalanche locker room. #Obviously

But now, a question is increasingly being asked in Denver: if the team loses the series (no team in history has won a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games in a conference final), will Bednar survive?

The way he handled the Makar situation in public (he threw him under the bus in his comments regarding his health)… his struggles to get past the first round in 2023 and 2025… the series against Vegas…

Will this series be the straw that breaks the camel's back? Who knows.

But I know that Andy Strickland raised the possibility of David Carle, the University of Denver coach, taking his place as Avalanche coach. And he did so before Game #3…

But there's another reason that could lead to Bednar (who is an excellent coach) making way for a new voice in the locker room.

What if the GM leaves?

Nothing has been confirmed, but Elliotte Friedman (32 Thoughts) suggests that Chris MacFarland, the team's GM who works under president Joe Sakic, could be a serious candidate for a job in Nashville.

Remember that right now, the Preds are still looking for a hockey boss… and the word on the street is that they're waiting for a team to fall apart so they can talk to its executive.

There's no guarantee that's actually what will happen. We don't know if the Preds are really interested, if MacFarland wants to leave Denver, or if the Avalanche will let Nashville talk to their GM.

But if Bednar's future is called into question and a new GM comes in, that could open the door to a “forced” shake-up to bring a new voice to town. Often, a GM wants to bring in his own guy…

Oh, by the way: want another reason for a coaching change in Denver?

Colorado is facing a team that chose to fire its coach (also a Stanley Cup winner) to bring in a new head coach. And right now, the results are more than evident… #JohnTortorella


In a nutshell

– CH: 10:30 a.m. practice this morning.

– The formula is working.

– What will the Sabres do?

– The Saguenéens won last night.

– Read this.

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