Avalanche coach’s rage hints at major roster shakeups

Jared Bednar’s frustration signals trouble for several Colorado Avalanche players.

That is the takeaway from Tuesday night’s 7-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Avalanche head coach did not mince words after the game.

“There’s been patience early on, but I’m going to have to change my approach now,” Bednar said, according to NDTV Sports.

That is not a throwaway line.

It is a warning aimed at the entire roster, but particularly at the supporting cast.

Colorado had won three straight games before this one.

But the collapse in Columbus exposed problems that have surfaced repeatedly this season.

The Blue Jackets scored 28 seconds into the game.

They buried four goals in an eight-minute stretch in the second period.

The Avalanche barely offered a response.

Bednar made it plain the calendar is no longer on anyone’s side.

“This game’s showing up too much for me,” he said.

“There has to be a line. We’re 20% through the season, so it’s not a small window.”

When a head coach publicly connects a recurring problem to the season percentage, roster changes usually aren’t far behind.

The issue in Columbus wasn’t just a bad goaltending night.

Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood were left exposed by the skaters in front of them.

Multiple goals came off rebounds and scrambles around the crease.

Players weren’t boxing out.

They weren’t clearing traffic.

They weren’t protecting their goaltenders.

That’s a habit at this point, not a one-off.

Bednar has let it ride through a small winning streak.

That runway just ended.

There were a few bright spots.

Cale Makar scored his fourth goal of the season to get Colorado on the board.

Nazem Kadri extended his hot stretch with another goal, his fourth in four games, pushing his season total to 14 points.

His power-play tally was the one clean moment worth keeping from an otherwise flat performance.

Nathan MacKinnon chipped in two assists.

That’s three players doing their job.

The rest of the lineup didn’t hold up its end.

And that’s precisely what has Bednar ready to make moves.

When the best players produce and the team still gives up seven, the math points straight at the supporting cast.

Bednar also spoke with Altitude Sports Radio and made it clear that he isn’t concerned about the Avalanche’s ability to score.

Colorado has more than enough firepower, and its offensive numbers reflect that.

The problem is happening at the other end of the ice.

“It’s not (the offense),” Bednar said.

“That’s not my issue. It’s the defending, but we have to get more committed on the defending side of it.”

“I trust in our offense. Like, I don’t know if you look up our offense right now, I don’t check it just before the road trip, where we stand, but it’ll be top one, two, or three in the league. On the defending side, it wouldn’t surprise me to see if we’re in the bottom five.”

Those are blunt comments from a coach who has spent much of the early season trying to adjust his approach.

Bednar also pointed to the team’s lack of physicality and willingness to engage opposing players.

It is not simply about being in the right position or making the occasional defensive play.

Colorado needs to make life considerably more difficult for opponents, particularly around its own net.

The Columbus game was a pretty ugly example of what happens when that commitment disappears.

The Blue Jackets aren’t exactly an offensive juggernaut this season.

Yet they managed to put seven goals past Colorado.

They scored just 28 seconds into the game.

They repeatedly found themselves with too much room around the net.

They took advantage of an Avalanche team that looked completely disconnected defensively.

Speaking with The Denver Gazette’s Evan Rawal after the loss, Bednar was visibly frustrated.

“This game’s showing up too much for me,” he repeated.

“There has to be a line. We’re 20% through the season, so it’s not a small window.”

That is probably the most concerning part of this entire situation.