Bednar signs four-year contract with Avalanche, runs through 2030-31

Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar signed a four-year contract on Wednesday that runs through the 2030-31 season.

"I'm ecstatic," Bednar said prior to an 8-4 win against the Los Angeles Kings in Colorado's season opener. "Yeah, nice to be sticking around. Yeah, I love my job. I love working with these guys. Whether it's our players, our management team, everybody's all in, trying to pull the rope in the same direction and trying to win, and that's exactly what I enjoy. And again, I think it's the relationship that I've built with the players and the partnership that we're in. I'm really enjoying coming to the rink as much as I was when I first got here, so I'm really looking forward to staying as the coach.”

Bednar was entering the final season of a three-year contract he signed on March 21, 2023.

The 54-year-old is beginning his 11th season as Avalanche coach. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in wins (446-262-75) in 783 regular-season games. He is also 60-40-1 in 101 Stanley Cup Playoff games, highlighted by winning the championship in 2022.

Bednar is the only person to win championships in the ECHL (South Carolina, 2009), AHL (Lake Erie, 2016) and NHL as a head coach. He is the second-longest tenured coach in the League, behind Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning (March 2013).

Colorado has qualified for the playoffs in all but one season during Bednar’s time as coach. That one miss came during his first season in 2016-17.

The Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy last season as the team with the best record (55-16-11, 121 points) during the regular season. They were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.

Bednar said he wasn't sure the Avalanche would bring him back after last season, but he's more than happy they did.

"It's an unforgiving league. That's what it is, right?" he said. "And I said this this morning: Like every team, every ownership group, every management group has a different path and the direction that they want to take, and teams do business differently, but I believe in what we're doing and I believe in the people that I work with and I believe in our players. And yeah, I'm just happy to be part of it and grateful to be part of it.”

The Colorado players are in support of Bednar as well.

"It feels good," captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "We love 'Bedsy.' We've said that for a long time. He's a great coach, great human, the right coach for this group, and we know he's as hungry as we are, and that's a big part of it. So, happy for him."

Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said: "Congrats to him. Great extension for him. We obviously have full trust in him. For us to have stability like that as a team and kind of the direction that we feel comfortable in and confident that we can find success in, it's great.”

Colorado general manager Joe Sakic was in full agreement with his players.

"You heard from the players at the end of the year what he means to them. He's got a lot of respect from them, and so I felt it was really important (to keep him)," Sakic said. "And the second thing, I didn't want him to go through the whole year and have those distractions of being asked that same question, especially as the year goes on, getting into playoffs, about his future, his contract, and we just want them to focus on hockey and have zero distractions, him and the players. So, we felt it was really important to have him locked up, and he deserves it because one of the best coaches in the game, and we're lucky to have him here."

Bednar said the confidence shown in him by Sakic is "everything."

"I think it starts with our owners and putting people in place and allowing them to do their jobs and believing in them and having trust in them, and that's kind of how Joe has run it with me," he said. "But I rely on him all the time for his advice, his leadership. I mean, I think our whole organization does, and he's obviously the one that gave me the opportunity in the first place and stuck with me through some hard times. That's my driving force, trying to reward him, our owners, our players. Just trying to do the best job I can for this team every day.”

NHL.com independent correspondent Ryan Boulding contributed to this report