Avalanche may already have replacement for MacFarland lined up

Rumors have been swirling around the interest the Nashville Predators have shown in Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland.

As initially discussed here on Mile High Sticking, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Avs have granted the Preds permission to speak with MacFarland. It’s worth pointing out that the rule of thumb in the NHL is that organization won’t block their employees from speaking with other organizations when there’s a promotion involved.

This move would be a promotion for MacFarland.

Speaking of promotions, the Avalanche may not be too concerned about losing MacFarland because they may have a candidate potentially lined up. That candidate could be Andrew Cogliano.

Cogliano was a trade deadline acquisition for the Avalanche at the 2022 NHL trade deadline. He instantly became a heart-and-soul guy during the Avs’ Stanley Cup run that year.

Since retiring after the 2023-24 season, Cogliano went into the Avalanche’s front office as a special adviser to the general manager. The 1,200-game NHL vet has served as a type of liaison between MacFarland and President of Hockey Ops Joe Sakic.

As such, the question here would be: Is Cogliano ready to take over as GM of the Colorado Avalanche?

On the surface, there may be questions about promoting Cogliano ahead of other assistant GMs like Kevin MacDonald and Andrew Wilson.

But then again, could Cogliano’s hiring, following his retirement, have been a type of on-the-job training for his eventual taking over?

That’s a possibility. The question would be whether the organization believes he would be suitable for the gig at that point.

Avalanche could gamble with Cogliano, given organization’s structure

The Avalanche could afford to roll the dice on Cogliano. The organizational structure in Colorado makes such a move possible. It’s worth noting that Joe Sakic will remain at the helm. Meanwhile, Cogliano would have plenty of support across the management group.

So, it’s not like the 39-year-old will be thrown to the wolves. He’s had the experience and support within the organization. Plus, having two solid assistant GMs around him should provide Cogliano with plenty of cover moving forward.

That said, there may be some question marks about why the organization would promote Cogliano ahead of the other assistant GMs. It’s tough to make an ironclad case about why McDonald or Wilson shouldn’t get the job.

And if either one did, they would be a fantastic choice.

But then again, there’s value in turning the GM role over to a former player and Stanley Cup winner. The organization did that once upon a time with Joe Sakic, and it worked.

Who’s to say it can work again with Cogliano?

Since the Avalanche can’t really stop MacFarland from at least interviewing for another job, the organization might as well prepare for an eventual succession.

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