NHL Coach Rankings: No. 4 Bench Boss Must Meet Sky-High Expectations With Avalanche

Jared Bednar is a Stanley Cup champion and a two-time Presidents' Trophy winner. But one Cup is not good enough for this Avalanche core.Sometimes, even Stanley Cup-winning coaches have a best-before date. Bednar isn't in imminent threat of dismissal. Colorado is the NHL's defending Presidents' Trophy winner with a 55-16-11 record. So, in TheHockeyNews.com's NHL coaches ranking, Bednar sits near the top. Ranking criteria include each coach's long- and short-term impact, reputation and expectations. But this list is subjective.Bednar's longevity in Denver and his record behind Colorado's bench are key reasons he ranks so high.4. Jared Bednar, Colorado AvalancheBednar, 54, is young in an older man's profession. But his staying power in Colorado has led him to 782 career games coached, going 445-262-75 and adding 101 playoff games.He's led the Avalanche to two Presidents' Trophies as the NHL's top regular-season team, and he won the Stanley Cup in 2021-22. At a point when there's great parity in the NHL, Bednar consistently gets the Avs to an impressive place in the pecking order.Bednar has yet to win a Jack Adams Award as the coach of the year, but this past season, he finished fourth in voting. It's hard to imagine what more he needed to do to win the Jack Adams, which felt like a career lifetime-achievement award this year when it was presented to Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper. In fact, the 2025-26 campaign was one of Bednar's best yet. The Avalanche were hot out of the gate this past season, going 37-9-9 before the Olympic break. That alone is a record most coaches would kill for.They also led the league in goals-for, fewest goals against and the penalty kill. Simply put, the Avalanche dominated for most of the season.Bednar is fortunate to have generational superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar on his roster, and the Avalanche's defense corps is one of the NHL's deepest. But Colorado operates in the highly competitive Central Division, and staying ahead of the powerhouse Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild is a measure of the Avs' consistency under Bednar. He's had to ensure his strong roster on paper can execute to stay ahead of their strong rivals.Having a strong roster also leads to sky-high expectations, however.The Avalanche were exposed once they made it to the Western Conference final against the Vegas Golden Knights. Getting swept was a sobering wake-up call for the Avs, which were easily strong enough to win the Stanley Cup.If the Avalanche can't take advantage of their elite core and win another Cup, then Bednar could end up on the hot seat.The power play was also the sixth-worst in the NHL this past season, so there's still clear room for improvement in 2026-27.But if Sakic decides to pull the plug on Bednar's tenure in Denver at some point next season, it wouldn't be long before another team hired him. When you've had coaching success, you buy yourself time and lifeboats when you encounter adversity. That's what Bednar got after the Golden Knights swept the Avalanche. He now gets an opportunity to redeem himself, but it feels like a Cup-or-bust situation is materializing for Bednar.Bednar has had a terrific run, but even the best teams need change. If the Avs don't make the Cup final next season, we could be having a different conversation about Bednar this time next year.NHL Coach Rankings4. Jared Bednar, ColoradoFor action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.