The defending Stanley Cup-champion Colorado Avalanche announced on Tuesday they have reached an agreement on a contract extension for coach Jared Bednar.
The deal will keep Bednar behind the bench as the leader of the Avs through the 2026-27 season.
After failing to make it beyond the second round of the playoffs in his first five seasons at the helm, Bednar led Colorado to its third Stanley Cup in team history in 2022.
The 51 year-old Bednar is the winningest coach in franchise history, compiling a 281-190-52 record in the regular season, while boasting a 40-23 mark in the postseason.
In his seventh season, the Avalanche currently sit in second place in the Central Division with a 41-22-6 (88 points) just one point behind the Dallas Stars (38-19-13; 89 points). With 13 games remaining in their regular-season schedule, Colorado trails both the Vegas Golden Knights (92 points) and the Los Angeles Kings (92 points) for the top overall spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
Colorado, which owns the NHL’s longest current winning streak at six games, will next return to action on Wednesday when it hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins, looking to improve upon its 19-11-5 home record at Ball Arena.
