The Colorado Avalanche have a 10-1-5 record through 16 games so far of the 2025-26 season. They currently lead the league in points with 25. Sunday night’s win over the Vancouver Canucks was led by Nathan MacKinnon, and also marks the 400th career win for head coach Jared Bednar. Congratulations are in order. It was a tough battle for both teams, with Colorado finishing things off in overtime.
It was a sweeter way of getting to 400 wins than if it somehow were to happen against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday evening, where the team won 9-1. The way it happened was a lot more fun because it was a tougher battle.
Bednar climbed into the 42nd spot all-time for wins by a head coach in NHL history earlier in the year, but didn’t climb higher in the rankings with this win. He will pass Punch Imlach (Maple Leafs, Sabres - 402 wins) with three more victories.
Technically, Bednar could have 76 wins this season (mathematically), which would blow the previous record of 65 wins in a season out of the water. It’s not going to happen, but it’s just something that would be pretty fun. That would put Bednar all the way up to 33rd all-time in terms of wins by a head coach.
The Avalanche have two very strong goaltenders in Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Blackwood signed an extension when he was acquired, while Wedgewood’s deal runs out after this current season. I would be shocked if the Avs don’t re-sign him to keep the momentum going, especially if something happens to Blackwood like it did for the start of this year. Wedgewood has been a strong force in net in Blackwood’s absence.
The start of Bednar’s career as Avalanche head coach wasn’t easy, as he took over a team that scrambled late for a head coach following the sudden departure of Patrick Roy, who resigned.
He took over the Avalanche in 2016, and that season has turned out to be the only year thus far in which he was unsuccessful in leading the team to the postseason. It’s pretty impressive, especially considering the amount of moving pieces throughout the years, including a three-year absence of Gabriel Landeskog following the team’s Stanley Cup victory in 2022.
Honestly, the sky is the limit for the Avalanche if they get every piece of their offense and special teams healthy. Logan O’Connor has been missed tremendously this year, but his return should be soon. The same goes for Samuel Girard. However, Gavin Brindley, Victor Olofsson, and Brent Burns are three players who have helped the team a great amount. The Avalanche would not be the team they are without them. Depth scoring and overall production is key in a team’s quest for the ultimate prize.
Bednar also has a chance to prove that he is a mastermind in flipping lines around, or as some call it, using the blender. If something isn’t working, you have to switch things up and try something different, and we’ve seen the Avalanche do that quite a bit recently and even in past seasons. That’s the way it goes sometimes. You have to do what you think is best for the team. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
It truly is a fun and exciting time for the Avalanche fans.