The contract will begin after next season and runs through 2026-27.
Bednar is 281-191-52 in 523 regular-season games since replacing Patrick Roy on Aug. 25, 2016, becoming Colorado’s all-time winningest coach on Jan. 24 (266). He is also the only coach in Avalanche history to guide them to five consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including winning the Cup last season.
“I’m glad to get it done,” Bednar said Wednesday. “I mean, I’m excited to be back and staying for a little bit. Whenever you can be part of a team and a group of players, management, staff that kind of grows together, learns together, competes together to accomplish a common goal, which is obviously winning, there’s no better feeling. I love my job here and the players that I work with, and I think we got a good thing going and we’re excited to continue it.”
This season, Colorado (41-23-6) is in third place in the Central Division, two points behind the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.
“Being able to lead this team over the last seven years has been a privilege,” Bednar said. “I am grateful and excited to have the opportunity to continue building on what we’ve accomplished so far. Colorado has become home to me and my family, and I can’t thank our ownership enough, Stan and Josh Kroenke, as well as Joe Sakic and (general manager) Chris MacFarland, my coaching staff and all of our players for their hard work and dedication. I look forward to continuing this process with them.”
Bednar was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2017-18, when he led Colorado (43-30-9) to a 47-point turnaround from the prior season and a berth in the playoffs.
“On behalf of the Kroenke family and the entire organization, we are thrilled to announce a long-term commitment to our head coach,” Avalanche president of hockey operations Joe Sakic said. “Jared has done a tremendous job behind the bench and certainly deserves this extension and to continue as the leader of our team.”
Bednar is the third-longest tenured coach in the NHL, behind Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning (March 25, 2013) and Mike Sullivan of the Pittsburgh Penguins (Dec. 12, 2015).
“Yeah, that’s crazy,” Bednar said. “It’s not a forgiving league or sport, for the most part, but obviously that’s part of the reason why I’m so grateful and thankful, because there was times over my tenure that got a little hairy and management could have made another decision, but obviously they didn’t. And I’m certainly grateful for that.”
Forwards
, Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen, and defensemen Cale Makar and Samuel Girard are each signed for at least the next two seasons.
“That’s what excites me the most, the core group of players that we have here,” Bednar said. “… So we’ve got this great core to build around, and we mix and match and get new players here and there, but that core drives our team and that core is going to be together for a while. So to be part of that group and help try and set the sort of discipline factor for the team and give us a good plan and get us prepared, I like your chances on a nightly basis.”
