Coaching
The Colorado Avalanche retained head coach Jared Bednar. However, they let go assistant coaches Tim Army and Dave Farrish. They replaced him with just one man, Ray Bennet, who has extensive NHL experience with the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings.
Goalie coach Francois Allaire finished out his contract with the team then announced his retirement. Colorado hired Jussi Parkkila to replace him. Parkkila doesn’t have the pedigree that Allaire has, but he does have a history with starting goalie Semyon Varlamov.
It’s no secret I don’t like Bednar. I’m not going to be a hypocrite now and start singing his praises. However, I think having someone with Bennet’s experience help call the shots will be a benefit to the team.
Bednar apologists claimed last year he didn’t have the opportunity to fully implement his system. Well, he had the entire offseason this year, and a roster presumably more of his choosing. Therefore, we’ll see how this new system works in the NHL.