With the front office under John Chayka and Mats Sundin moving slowly through its search for a new bench boss, a major name has surfaced in the Western Conference. According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, the Toronto Maple Leafs are closely monitoring the situation in Colorado involving their head coach Jared Bednar.
The Colorado Avalanche are still trying to make sense of a stunning Western Conference Final collapse that saw the Presidents' Trophy winners swept by the Vegas Golden Knights. Since then, Colorado has been quiet regarding Bednar's future. He still has a year left on his contract, but the lack of clarity has naturally led to speculation about whether a change could be coming.
Maple Leafs might pounce if Jared Bednar is available
If the Avalanche decide to move on, it's hard not to see Toronto getting involved. Bednar checks a lot of the boxes Chayka appears to value. There's the Stanley Cup from 2022, obviously. But it's also the way his teams play. Fast pace, quick transitions, plenty of pressure through the middle of the ice. When you look at a roster built around Auston Matthews and William Nylander, the fit isn't exactly difficult to see.
He's also built a reputation for getting star players to play within a structure without taking away what makes them dangerous. That's a balancing act a lot of coaches talk about. Bednar has actually done it. The Maple Leafs are entering a pretty important stretch as an organization, especially with the first overall pick in the upcoming draft. Whoever gets this job is going to have a significant role in shaping what comes next.
A lot still has to happen before Bednar even becomes available. Colorado holds all the cards there. But if one of the league's most established coaches suddenly hits the market, don't expect Toronto to sit on the sidelines.
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