GDT: Avalanche @ Blues 2/23/25 4:00PM MNT (Emergency GDT) Still feeling Blue about yesterday.

[The Kingslayer]

I wouldn't mind at all if the guy resigned, but that's not happening.

The coach will go first. GMs have a lot more rope.

Somewhere in a titty bar in Chattanooga Francois Giguere just fell to his knees.

 

[DrunkTurtle]

Somewhere in a titty bar in Chattanooga Francois Giguere just fell to his knees.

Absolute Avs legend.

Going big with Scott Hannan and Ryan Smyth was a banger.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I mean what happened to Mittelstadt? He was so good up to the quarter point of this season? You can't tell me coaching doesn't have anything to do with it, the guy just forgot how to play hockey all the sudden?

Don't say stylistic fit because he seemed to fit pretty well last season and in the playoffs?

Where did this guy go?

Mittelstadt likes to create offense from pull ups, full stops and pivots. He’s really good in those situations. He shields the puck with his body and waits for a lane to open up to make a pass and he’s f***ing phenomenal at it.

Problem with that is that Middelstadt is slow and weak. When a guy like Mackinnon for example is at a standstill, he can decide to change that, move his feet and start again. Mittelstadt can’t. Once teams see video on this he’s very easy to defend. You simply stay on, play the body and 9 times out of 10 the puck will be yours because he truly is one of the weakest players to ever play in the league.

I don’t think Mittelstadt forgot how to play hockey. I just think he’s very easy to play against and once teams figure that out he doesn’t have much else he can do.

He was also on the top PP early in the year because of Lehky and Drouin missing. That helped a little.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Mittelstadt likes to create offense from pull ups, full stops and pivots. He’s really good in those situations. He shields the puck with his body and waits for a lane to open up to make a pass and he’s f***ing phenomenal at it.

Problem with that is that Middelstadt is slow and weak. When a guy like Mackinnon for example is at a standstill, he can decide to change that, move his feet and start again. Mittelstadt can’t. Once teams see video on this he’s very easy to defend. You simply stay on, play the body and 9 times out of 10 the puck will be yours because he truly is one of the weakest players to ever play in the league.

I don’t think Mittelstadt forgot how to play hockey. I just think he’s very easy to play against and once teams figure that out he doesn’t have much else he can do.

He was also on the top PP early in the year because of Lehky and Drouin missing. That helped a little.

lol

 

[Bender]

Absolute Avs legend.

Going big with Scott Hannan and Ryan Smyth was a banger.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I don’t understand the whole Bednar not getting the most out of the players talk. Mitts struggling to produce as a 2C is not Bednar’s fault, that’s on Mittelstadt, and you can’t get the most out of a guy like Parssinen as a 2nd line player because he’s simply not a top 6 forward.

One thing I’d like Bednar to do is put Colton on the 2nd line, but that’s not a long term solution either. This is up to CMac to fix, not Bednar. Get a 2C, get Val back, then we’ll have a 2nd line and things will get better

Or maybe you can't get the most out of Parsy because he is playing with Mitts all the time? It is a possibility IMO.

 

[Pokecheque]

I have resigned myself to the fact that a coaching change is inevitable, but I'll be shocked if it happens before the end of the year. I think things will have gone waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay south if that ends up happening.

I honestly don't know what any other coach could have done with this roster. They're clearly not a good team to begin with, and are limping along at something like 70% capacity due to injuries (even LOC is banged up again). The two-week break during the Four Nations Tournament did absolutely nothing. NOTHING at all. I don't really lay the fact that Wood, Colton, and Mittelstadt have done absolutely nothing on Bednar. That's on management for building an absolutely horrendous supporting cast around one of the best cores in hockey. And that's why I am calling for MacFarland's head. He's done an absolute shit job, can't be ignored or excused any longer.

 

[The Abusement Park]

I don't really know what people expect Bednar to get out of the depth on this roster. Mitts is obviously a big problem and his drop off isa major problem. But outside of him and Colton as well... Everyone else is just producing how they always have. Bednar can't turn LOC into a 40pt guy. Kivi has always been a 4th liner who scores 10-15pts a year. Same with Kelly. And Miles Wood has always been a fringe 3rd liner out there and now he's broken. Drury is another guy who's a fringe 3rd liner that should probably be on your 4th line if your contending.

Like the depth on this team is just really bad offensively. The depth is good at playing low event hockey and not giving up too many chances defensively, but there isn't a single player outside of Mack, Necas, Drouin or Nuke who provides any sort of dynamism offensively. You could bring in another coach, but another coach isn't going to make Kiviranta a 30pt guy or Kelly a 30pt guy. Maybe a new coach could get Colton or Mitts back on track a little, and getting Mitts going would help quite a ton to be fair. But the bottom 9 still would be as anemic as ever.

This team has also gotten rid of all of it's main shooting threats since the cup. Kadri, Bura, and Mikko all brought plenty of shooting and goal scoring prowess. Now there's no one outside of Mack who is a legit scorer and his main goal is driving the offense more than being a shooter. This team desperately needs someone who can and will just throw pucks at the net and is somewhat dangerous at it. Currently Mack is the only person who's remotely close to a shooting threat.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

I don't really know what people expect Bednar to get out of the depth on this roster. Mitts is obviously a big problem and his drop off isa major problem. But outside of him and Colton as well... Everyone else is just producing how they always have. Bednar can't turn LOC into a 40pt guy. Kivi has always been a 4th liner who scores 10-15pts a year. Same with Kelly. And Miles Wood has always been a fringe 3rd liner out there and now he's broken. Drury is another guy who's a fringe 3rd liner that should probably be on your 4th line if your contending.

Like the depth on this team is just really bad offensively. The depth is good at playing low event hockey and not giving up too many chances defensively, but there isn't a single player outside of Mack, Necas, Drouin or Nuke who provides any sort of dynamism offensively. You could bring in another coach, but another coach isn't going to make Kiviranta a 30pt guy or Kelly a 30pt guy. Maybe a new coach could get Colton or Mitts back on track a little, and getting Mitts going would help quite a ton to be fair. But the bottom 9 still would be as anemic as ever.

This team has also gotten rid of all of it's main shooting threats since the cup. Kadri, Bura, and Mikko all brought plenty of shooting and goal scoring prowess. Now there's no one outside of Mack who is a legit scorer and his main goal is driving the offense more than being a shooter. This team desperately needs someone who can and will just throw pucks at the net and is somewhat dangerous at it. Currently Mack is the only person who's remotely close to a shooting threat.

Sell the team I guess

 

[Avs2022]

Do you really think a different coach is gonna make a difference for a team that has so many holes? Again, this team is in a wildcard spot because it is a wildcard roster. Nothing more nothing less. I’m not sure what a different coach can do. We’re not under or overachieving. We are where we supposed to be with the way the current roster is constructed

I think it will. Bednar has no idea how to have his team run a cycle on get to the net. I watch many other teams (center ice for the last 10 years). I have literally never seen a team like the Av's where the 3rd and 4th lines can't maintain a cycle, put pressure on the puck, or have guys crash the net and get shots to the net. Every other team throughout the course of a game can do these things with the 3rd and 4th lines. But nope, not the Av's. They can't build any momentum after the 1st line.

I won't comment on the 2nd line since we are missing key players, but the coach seems to have lost the room, we play with no drive, confidence and even sustained structure. It's time to move on from Bednar, while I agree that the move should happen after we either miss the playoffs or after our 1st round exit.

It's mind boggling to watch the Av's these days. Our record is still decent due to Mac and Makar, and getting better goaltending after we traded away our two goalies that started the season with us.

Bednar makes no adjustments ever, always seems to get out coached by teams. We made the Blues look like a power house last night. Bednar will just try the same thing over and over, and then overplay the 5 same players where they run out of gas.

 

[Pokecheque]

I think it will. Bednar has no idea how to have his team run a cycle on get to the net. I watch many other teams (center ice for the last 10 years). I have literally never seen a team like the Av's where the 3rd and 4th lines can't maintain a cycle, put pressure on the puck, or have guys crash the net and get shots to the net. Every other team throughout the course of a game can do these things with the 3rd and 4th lines. But nope, not the Av's. They can't build any momentum after the 1st line.

I won't comment on the 2nd line since we are missing key players, but the coach seems to have lost the room, we play with no drive, confidence and even sustained structure. It's time to move on from Bednar, while I agree that the move should happen after we either miss the playoffs or after our 1st round exit.

It's mind boggling to watch the Av's these days. Our record is still decent due to Mac and Makar, and getting better goaltending after we traded away our two goalies that started the season with us.

I will say the Avs still rely way, way too much on high/low offense, don't generate nearly enough traffic in the slot area, and just flat-out refuse to try and generate offense in the corners and behind the net. But I think that's just as much a fault of the roster as it is the coach.

But no system no matter how physical or fast, will work if players aren't committed to winning puck battles. And that's the most disconcerting thing. None of them are winning puck battles on a consistent basis. None. The worst perpetrators are Wood, who still looks injured to me, and Colton, who on top of losing every battle, can't manage the puck to save his life in those few instances he DOES get it on his stick (I think he's injured too, specifically the hand that he used to block a shot not that long ago).

So yeah, change the coach, but don't be surprised if you see that nothing changes. No coach, no matter how good, can get by with one top line, one top pairing and half of a second pairing, and absolute shit beyond that.

 

[Avs2022]

I will say the Avs still rely way, way too much on high/low offense, don't generate nearly enough traffic in the slot area, and just flat-out refuse to try and generate offense in the corners and behind the net. But I think that's just as much a fault of the roster as it is the coach.

But no system no matter how physical or fast, will work if players aren't committed to winning puck battles. And that's the most disconcerting thing. None of them are winning puck battles on a consistent basis. None. The worst perpetrators are Wood, who still looks injured to me, and Colton, who on top of losing every battle, can't manage the puck to save his life in those few instances he DOES get it on his stick (I think he's injured too, specifically the hand that he used to block a shot not that long ago).

So yeah, change the coach, but don't be surprised if you see that nothing changes. No coach, no matter how good, can get by with one top line, one top pairing and half of a second pairing, and absolute shit beyond that.

I can agree with some of your thoughts.. But it's the coaches job to get the most out of the players. Like other have mentioned, all coaches have a shelf life and I think Bednar has reached his. Just my opinion.

Many coaches utilize the strengths of a player to form a line and base the strengths/weaknesses to have that line commit to a structure. I honestly don't see any structure in the Av's. Like none. I bet if we get a coach that is above average, we'll make some gains. I don't think we are winning the cup, but we will not be as lifeless and dead on many nights.

 

[Pokecheque]

I can agree with some of your thoughts.. But it's the coaches job to get the most out of the players. Like other have mentioned, all coaches have a shelf life and I think Bednar has reached his. Just my opinion.

Many coaches utilize the strengths of a player to form a line and base the strengths/weaknesses to have that line commit to a structure. I honestly don't see any structure in the Av's. Like none. I bet if we get a coach that is above average, we'll make some gains. I don't think we are winning the cup, but we will not be as lifeless and dead on many nights.

I just don't think any other coach is going to get much more out of guys like Wood, Mitts, and Colton than Bednar has. Maybe, I don't know, I just don't think so. If anything, Bednar has gotten the most he possibly can out of Wood and Colton, who are deeply flawed players and frankly, quite one-dimensional. If they're not going all-out they're useless. And injuries have effectively kept them from doing just that. Even when they're at their best, they need a more high-IQ guy to make up for their severe flaws. They just weren't good players to get in the first place. As for Mitts...I have no idea.

And the Avs are structured. If anything, Bednar's biggest flaw, especially of late, is that he's TOO structured. Players who don't exactly fit his mold like Trenin and Duhaime don't get to adjust, those are guys you want to be more freewheeling, especially Duhaime. But Bednar requires his guys to play within the system and it doesn't always work. He also required f***ing MacDermid to play structured hockey which was just idiotic. That's a guy, more than any other you just tell to go take runs at the other team and f*** everything else.

 

[myperbixhurts]

I think it will. Bednar has no idea how to have his team run a cycle on get to the net. I watch many other teams (center ice for the last 10 years). I have literally never seen a team like the Av's where the 3rd and 4th lines can't maintain a cycle, put pressure on the puck, or have guys crash the net and get shots to the net. Every other team throughout the course of a game can do these things with the 3rd and 4th lines. But nope, not the Av's. They can't build any momentum after the 1st line.

I won't comment on the 2nd line since we are missing key players, but the coach seems to have lost the room, we play with no drive, confidence and even sustained structure. It's time to move on from Bednar, while I agree that the move should happen after we either miss the playoffs or after our 1st round exit.

It's mind boggling to watch the Av's these days. Our record is still decent due to Mac and Makar, and getting better goaltending after we traded away our two goalies that started the season with us.

Bednar makes no adjustments ever, always seems to get out coached by teams. We made the Blues look like a power house last night. Bednar will just try the same thing over and over, and then overplay the 5 same players where they run out of gas.

Avs are not built to be a heavy forechecking, cycling team. That’s not on Bednar. If they wanna become that type of a team, they need to reconstruct the roster and get players that can play that way

Or maybe you can't get the most out of Parsy because he is playing with Mitts all the time? It is a possibility IMO.

Possibly, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up Parssinen becoming a top 6 forward

 

[Bender]

I just don't think any other coach is going to get much more out of guys like Wood, Mitts, and Colton than Bednar has. Maybe, I don't know, I just don't think so. If anything, Bednar has gotten the most he possibly can out of Wood and Colton, who are deeply flawed players and frankly, quite one-dimensional. If they're not going all-out they're useless. And injuries have effectively kept them from doing just that. Even when they're at their best, they need a more high-IQ guy to make up for their severe flaws. They just weren't good players to get in the first place. As for Mitts...I have no idea.

And the Avs are structured. If anything, Bednar's biggest flaw, especially of late, is that he's TOO structured. Players who don't exactly fit his mold like Trenin and Duhaime don't get to adjust, those are guys you want to be more freewheeling, especially Duhaime. But Bednar requires his guys to play within the system and it doesn't always work. He also required f***ing MacDermid to play structured hockey which was just idiotic. That's a guy, more than any other you just tell to go take runs at the other team and f*** everything else.

Sorry - I just can't go along with the first part of that. I certainly think another coach would have better utilized some of these players. For instance, do you think Bednar realizes that when he keeps that top line out there for the full two-minutes of the PP (or 1m45s lol) that it doesn't allow for ANY of these other players a chance to maybe score a goal or some points on the man advantage ? I am talking about the 19th ranked PP in the league right now. That's right, 19th !!!

A team with MacKinnon, Makar, Rantanen/Necas plus 2 other guys IS NINETEETH in the league on the PP this season. Some of this shit is on coaching, not sure anyone can convince me otherwise.

Mittelstadt was great when he first got here and for the first month of the season and then ??? WTF is that ? Colton was a 40 point player for us just last year - sure he played and filled-in for Ryjo on the 2nd line but he's still not supposed to be completely devoid of any offensive ability. Wood is who he is and the Avs knew that (or were supposed to know that) when they signed him. He's a bottom-6 guy who is USUALLY good for 25-30 points, has good wheels and throws his weight around. He also takes bad penalties... he's been hurt this year but he's usually better than 3 f***ing points.

As far as the 2nd part, I agree with you.

 

[Pokecheque]

Sorry - I just can't go along with the first part of that. I certainly think another coach would have better utilized some of these players. For instance, do you think Bednar realizes that when he keeps that top line out there for the full two-minutes of the PP (or 1m45s lol) that it doesn't allow for ANY of these other players a chance to maybe score a goal or some points on the man advantage ? I am talking about the 19th ranked PP in the league right now. That's right, 19th !!!

A team with MacKinnon, Makar, Rantanen/Necas plus 2 other guys IS NINETEETH in the league on the PP this season. Some of this shit is on coaching, not sure anyone can convince me otherwise.

Mittelstadt was great when he first got here and for the first month of the season and then ??? WTF is that ? Colton was a 40 point player for us just last year - sure he played and filled-in for Ryjo on the 2nd line but he's still not supposed to be completely devoid of any offensive ability. Wood is who he is and the Avs knew that (or were supposed to know that) when they signed him. He's a bottom-6 guy who is USUALLY good for 25-30 points, has good wheels and throws his weight around. He also takes bad penalties... he's been hurt this year but he's usually better than 3 f***ing points.

As far as the 2nd part, I agree with you.

Well, you won't get any argument from me on how horribly coached the power play has been. THAT part has been completely and totally unacceptable. I've regularly dinged Bednar on the penalty kill, a system I still think sucks donkey balls, but now the man-advantage looks as bad as it ever has under him. Used to be he'd let the 2nd unit take over a bit if the top unit was struggling--I remember waaaay back the Unit 2 had guys like Soderberg and Kerfoot and they were scoring at a good clip because--lo and behold!--they'd make it a priority to get it on net then collapse in as a whole on any rebounds. So...yeah, I'd actually be okay with Bennett being gone tomorrow, still not there on Bednar though.

 

[Bender]

Well, you won't get any argument from me on how horribly coached the power play has been. THAT part has been completely and totally unacceptable. I've regularly dinged Bednar on the penalty kill, a system I still think sucks donkey balls, but now the man-advantage looks as bad as it ever has under him. Used to be he'd let the 2nd unit take over a bit if the top unit was struggling--I remember waaaay back the Unit 2 had guys like Soderberg and Kerfoot and they were scoring at a good clip because--lo and behold!--they'd make it a priority to get it on net then collapse in as a whole on any rebounds. So...yeah, I'd actually be okay with Bennett being gone tomorrow, still not there on Bednar though.

Oh I think Bednar will finish the season but I'm much less convinced we are going to make noise in the playoffs then I was a month ago.

To me it just feels like we should be a lot better than this. Sure we had injuries and we are still missing some players but when you look at our Top-6 forwards, our Top-4 d-men and our goaltending - we just should be a lot better. It shouldn't matter this much if our bottom-6 isn't awesome or our bottom-pairing guys suck. That's just my opinion.

I remember that 2nd unit with Soderberg and Kerfoot.

Remember when Sammy G used to fool defenders and make that drop-back pass to Toews for a 1-timer goal?? That seemed to have worked like 6-7 times that one season.

The 2nd powerplay unit barely exits anymore. All of that is on coaching.

 

[Golden Foppa]

I don't like Jon Cooper but listening to him talk about how McDavid and MacKinnon need to learn how to cut their losses and move on to the next shift coaching them on Team Canada really drives the point home that MacKinnon needs a new perspective and to be challenged by his coach.

Bednar must have video of Joe playing with his ball Sakic. Everyone can see that he needs to be replaced.

 

[Golden Foppa]

It seems like he has no idea how to utilize low skill players.

He doesn't. He gives up on young guys and falls in love with AHL scrubs who don't belong in the NHL. If you are a young promising player who messes up your first shift Bednar will bury you in a dog house you will never get out of but if you are an AHL journeyman you will always be plugged in to the lineup no matter how brutal you are.

Bednar sucks.

 

[Pokecheque]

I don't like Jon Cooper but listening to him talk about how McDavid and MacKinnon need to learn how to cut their losses and move on to the next shift coaching them on Team Canada really drives the point home that MacKinnon needs a new perspective and to be challenged by his coach.

Bednar must have video of Joe playing with his ball Sakic. Everyone can see that he needs to be replaced.

Oh stop with the hyperbole. We can call for Bednar's head but to say he's got something on Sakic is just plain dumb. He is in terms of wins, championships, and just plain games coached, the single greatest bench boss in Nords/Avs franchise history. It's not READILY obvious that he needs to be fired, the flaws in the roster go far beyond him, and besides, there isn't an obvious heir apparent. You want Bennett to take over? Pratt? Schneekloth?

Also, that's just Nate being Nate. You know as well as everyone else he's broody as all hell. Getting a different coach ain't gonna change that. Also, who was the coach of record when MacKinnon finally figured it out and became one of the best players in the game? Hint: It wasn't Patrick Roy.

It seems like he has no idea how to utilize low skill players.

I don't think that's the case at all. He's gotten WAY more out of Parker Kelly than anyone has a right to expect and don't you dare tell me he's skilled in any way, shape, or form. I'd say guys like NAK and LOC count as well. Helm, Cogs, Calvert, PEB, etc.

I will admit he has a real problem adjusting his scheme to guys who are a bit on the slower side, but don't tell me he doesn't know how to utilize grinders.

 

[Golden Foppa]

Oh stop with the hyperbole. We can call for Bednar's head but to say he's got something on Sakic is just plain dumb.

That was a joke.

As for who should take over? Anyone who admits the PP is a joke that needs corrected and that losing to non-playoff teams down the stretch is not acceptable instead of shrugging it off.

The narrative that the Avs don't have any opinions if they fire Bednar is laughable.

 

[dahrougem2]

It goes both ways. People can ask "what do you expect" out of Bednar yet the bottom six is completely anemic. They don't do ANYTHING and it's because a lot of them are players Bednar doesn't like.

Ross Colton has had seasons of 39, 32, and 40 points - all of a sudden he's a 4th line production player?

Something is off.

 

[AegonLeConqueror]

I don't really subscribe to the whole "What can Bednar even do with this roster?" bit anymore. Yes, we aren't the 2022 Avs anymore but we just got pummeled by two very mediocre teams who have nowhere near the kind of talent we have in MacKinnon, Makar, and even Necas.

I actually really like Bednar and truly believe that he is a good coach, but there are things he seriously has to improve. Any team that is above average in skating can neutralize the Avs' game plan by just clogging up the neutral zone and the coaching adjustment is usually just "well...skate faster".

 

[AegonLeConqueror]

It goes both ways. People can ask "what do you expect" out of Bednar yet the bottom six is completely anemic. They don't do ANYTHING and it's because a lot of them are players Bednar doesn't like.

Ross Colton has had seasons of 39, 32, and 40 points - all of a sudden he's a 4th line production player?

Something is off.

This is why I have a bit of a hard time being on the "ship out Colton" train. When he was in Tampa is was quite productive AND he was menace to play against - I remember hating his guts when we played them in the finals because he was just an annoying, physical player. With the Avs he's probably too afraid to hit someone because Bednar's philosophy is to play honest, and check-first hockey.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I am not yet on the Fire Bednar train but if it was to happen Carle would be my pick. It would have to be next season though.