Colorado Avalanche Coach Bednar Needs to Wake Up

The Colorado Avalanche are currently fighting to enter the wildcard, and the coach insists on not addressing some issues.

Colorado Avalanche fans can’t say that life is dull: The team began this season strong and kept a spot among the top three in the Central Division, and then they started losing, and losing, and losing a couple more times, eventually leaving not only the top three but the wildcard as well.

The team is currently sitting outside the wildcard but close to it. They are not mathematically eliminated yet, but there are a bunch of factors that can contribute to either their return to the playoffs or their elimination. Setting external factors aside, the Avalanche need to address some issues, some that apparently everyone but coach Bednar see. The biggest one (or at least the one that bothers me the most) being that of veterans vs younglings.

Veteran players are a valuable asset, as they not only bring their skills and experience to the ice but also serve as mentors to younger players (like our beloved Erik Johnson does). But, and here’s the catch: That’s not the case with every “veteran” player. And choosing them over younger players is not always a good idea. Exhibit A: Gabriel Bourque.

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I’ve already addressed the Bourque situation and why he should continue to be scratched, but in short, he’s not bringing much to the team, except for penalty minutes, and that’s the last thing this team needs. He is not a Carl Soderberg that brings necessary depth and helps set up some beautiful goals (23 assists speak for themselves), but Bednar continues choosing him over other (and younger) talents, for whatever reason.

Another case is that of Ian Cole. Fellow contributor Will Cooper wrote an in-depth analysis on Ian Cole vs Ryan Graves, while our expert Nadia already explained why the Avs are better with Ian Cole watching from the press box, so there’s no need for me to reiterate the obvious. I am, however, going to tell you that he leads the team in penalty minutes with 113. Yes, 113. Not ideal.

Does Cole have experience? Yes, he does. Is he a good defenseman? When he’s focused on the game and not on fighting just because and serving dirty hits: Yes, he can be. But if the Avs want to earn a spot in the post-season, they are better off without him. It’s not a big loss, and they get an even better asset in his place: Ryan Graves.

It’s not like the Colorado Avalanche don’t have players to fill in the spots of Bourque and Cole – look no further than the young talents at the Colorado Eagles – it’s just that the coach likes to go for the well-known but not beneficial rather than the new and promising. Younger players deserve a chance, and not just when other players get hurt (on that note, I miss Gabriel Landeskog oh so much).

Now, if only Bednar saw what we all see.

The playoff push continues for the Colorado Avalanche with only eight more games to go on the regular season. Here’s to hoping the coach will make the necessary changes and the team makes it to the post-season.