The Colorado Avalanche are undergoing a change as assistant head coach Dave Hakstol is leaving the organization to become the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils hockey club.
Hakstol joined the Avalanche last season and has been the assistant coach since. He has prior head coaching experience, having served in that role with the Seattle Kraken from 2021-24. From 1996 through 2015, he played multiple roles, including as a head coach of the Sioux City Muskateers, an assistant and associate at North Dakota, head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and most recently the head coach of the Seattle Kraken before his addition by the Avs.
Avalanche power play gets shaken up yet again
The Avalanche’s power play has been abysmal over the past few seasons. It ranked near the bottom of the league last season and, following a strong start, has dropped to 22.2%, which currently ranks 12th-14th (two other teams have that same percentage).
Colorado has tried several things to fix its power play, including the addition of T.J. Hughes to the top unit, alongside Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas. It appeared that the change worked, at least early on.
But now, the exit of Hakstol creates yet another problem for the organization’s biggest weakness.
Who knows, maybe this will end up being the best thing for Colorado. It remains to be seen who will replace Hakstol, but the inconsistencies of the power play unit just were unbearable to watch.
I would probably expect Nolan Pratt to at least be the temporary person in charge of the power play unit as he is also up close to the action and is very familiar with what is going on out there on the ice at all times. He has won three Stanley Cups—two as a player and one as a coach (the Avalanche’s 2021-22 Stanley Cup victory).
If the departure of Hakstol does not help the Avalanche’s power play by the end of the season, the organization might be forced to look at external options. If they do not get that part of their game figured out, there won’t be another Stanley Cup in the team’s immediate future. It would be a disheartening thing to witness due to the team’s incredible talent across the entire roster. It would be a waste of core players’ prime.
Whether or not the Avalanche regret hiring Hakstol will never be answered, but the question has been posed in the past.
Either way, we wish Hakstol the best of luck in his next journey as a coach.
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