Report: Jared Bednar situation has two NHL teams ‘very curious’

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar is still under contract for one more year.

And with all his success the last decade with the Avs, it’d make sense to keep him in Colorado through the end of that deal.

Yes, the Avalanche flamed out spectacularly in the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. Colorado was shockingly swept in a Stanley Cup or bust season.

Because of how they lost, many think the Avalanche should make a change at head coach. Perhaps the voice of Jared Bednar has grown stale in the locker room.

But Colorado fell in Sin City on Tuesday night and as of Friday afternoon there was still no news on Bednar. Could he be fired? Of course. However the longer the organization stays silent perhaps the better the fate is for Bednar.

If he gets let go, though, it’s obvious there would be plenty of suitors. He’s a Stanley Cup champion with the Avs in 2022 and the team won the Presidents’ Trophy this season. He’s clearly an elite coach.

And two of those teams have been identified per NHL insider David Pagnotta. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers would both be “very curious” if Bednar hit the market.

The Toronto Maple Leafs & Edmonton Oilers are "very curious" to see what happens with Jared Bednar, per @TheFourthPeriod. pic.twitter.com/5J2OKZt0GO

— PuckEmpire (@puckempire) May 29, 2026

Pagnotta made those comments on the “Morning Cuppa Hockey” podcast with Jonny Lazarus and Colby Cohen.

Toronto fired Craig Berube a couple of weeks back and currently doesn’t have a head coach. Edmonton dismissed Kris Knoblauch around the same time. Clearly both the Maple Leafs and Oilers are in no rush to name a new boss, waiting to see if Jared Bednar becomes available.

The Avalanche also haven’t announced a season-ending press conference yet, with the belief it’ll be sometime next week. Last year that was with team president Joe Sakic and general manager Chris MacFarland.

It’s not rocket science that if Colorado fires Jared Bednar he’ll get hired somewhere else in a matter of days. He’s been that successful during his time in Denver.

But the expectation is championships and the Avalanche have had some brutal and heartbreaking exits ever since they hoisted the Cup four years ago.

Put this firmly in the category of stay tuned.

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