Avalanche sign coach Jared Bednar to 3-year extension

The Colorado Avalanche signed coach Jared Bednar to a three-year contract extension Tuesday that runs through the 2026-27 season.

The extension kicks in for the 2024-25 season.

Bednar, 51, who led the Avalanche to the 2022 Stanley Cup, is the winningest coach in franchise history with a 281-190-52 record. The Avalanche are currently in second place in the Central Division at 41-22-6.

"Jared has obviously proven himself to be one of the top coaches in our business," Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a news release. "His strength as a communicator, his relationship with the players, the way he prepares each and every day is a huge reason our team has been so successful. He is an exceptional leader and we couldn't be more excited to have him continue as our head coach."

Bednar is in his seventh season as the Avs' head coach and is the third-longest tenured coach in the NHL behind Tampa Bay's Jon Cooper (March 2013) and Pittsburgh's Mike Sullivan (December 2015).