MacFarland out, Joe Sakic back as Avs GM in stunning twist

In a wild turn for the Colorado Avalanche front office, general manager Chris MacFarland is heading to the Nashville Predators — and team president Joe Sakic is stepping back into the GM chair.

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke confirmed MacFarland’s departure in a statement Tuesday, while announcing that Sakic will reassume general manager duties “for the foreseeable future,” including through this month’s NHL Draft and the start of the league year. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that the club will, “assess structure after” the heavy part of the offseason.

“We would like to thank Chris for all he did for the Avalanche organization,” Kroenke said. “Chris was instrumental in our success over the last decade and a key part of our 2022 Stanley Cup championship. This was an opportunity for him to take on a bigger role with the Predators while being closer to his family. We wish him and his family all the best in Nashville.”

The shock isn’t about MacFarland at this point — rumors swirling around him going back even into the postseason. What’s unexpected is that Sakic is sliding back into the more hands-on role he stepped away from three years ago. The Hall of Fame captain had served as president of hockey operations since July 2022, when MacFarland was promoted from assistant GM after Colorado’s last Stanley Cup run.

Now, the 56-year-old Sakic will once again be the main man making calls.

“(Avalanche President) Joe Sakic will resume the General Manager duties for the foreseeable future, including through this month’s draft and the start of the league year,” Kroenke said. “In Joe’s previous stint as GM, he helped build the current roster and led us to the 2022 Stanley Cup. We are confident in Joe’s leadership and that we will continue to build upon our recent success as we seek to bring another Cup back to Colorado.”

Sakic previously served as Colorado’s executive vice president and general manager for nine seasons from 2013-14 through 2021-22, capturing the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in the summer of 2022 after delivering the franchise’s third Stanley Cup.

He remains the only person in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup as both a captain and a general manager with the same organization, having hoisted the Cup as Avalanche captain in 1996 and 2001.

The move comes after a day of reports that MacFarland was on his way to Nashville. Kaplan and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday morning that MacFarland had been granted permission to speak with the Predators and that talks had already taken place, with Friedman noting Nashville would have to “hand the keys” to MacFarland to make a deal happen.

MacFarland, widely respected as one of the better executives in the league, is a finalist for this year’s Jim Gregory Award. He helped construct an Avalanche team that won the Presidents’ Trophy this season with a franchise-record 121 points, though Colorado’s run ended in a Western Conference Final sweep at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights.

During his tenure as GM, MacFarland engineered several franchise-altering moves, including the blockbuster trade that turned Mikko Rantanen into Martin Necas and Jack Drury, the overhaul of the goaltender room with Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood and the trade that brought Nazem Kadri to Denver.

The Avalanche have not held an end-of-season press conference since being eliminated by Vegas, which now makes a lot more sense. Sakic will be made available to the media when he returns to town next week, the team said.

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