Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar and Pascal Vincent, who was fired by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, have one thing in common.
Both got their first chance in the NHL following crash hires. Bednar was promoted on August 25, 2016 after the abrupt departure of Patrick Roy. Vincent on September 17, 2023 after the dismissal of Mike Babcock, who was hired a few weeks earlier.
The Avalanche, then a rebuilding club like the Blue Jackets last winter, went 22-56-4 under Bednar in 2016-17, their lowest showing in decades until the season. of the San Jose Sharks last season.
Pascal Vincent had just a few days to prepare for Blues Jackets training camp. Columbus walked away with a 27-43-12 record and 29th overall.
But, unlike Bednar, Vincent experienced the dismissal of his boss Jarmo Kekalainen during the winter. He was just fired just weeks after the arrival of a new president and CEO, Don Waddell.
With no change at the top of the pyramid, Bednar got a second chance. The Avalanche reached the playoffs the following season and never missed them again over the last seven springs, winning the Stanley Cup in 2022.
It is obviously not a question of comparing the two men. Perhaps Bednar had an influence over his troops that Vincent did not have, difficult to know. But Pascal Vincent would undoubtedly have gotten the benefit of the doubt with Kekalainen still in office. Coaches are rarely fired after just one year.
Despite any adverse circumstances, a head coach is paid to find solutions. John Tortorella in Philadelphia and Spencer Carbery in Washington did it.
Among the obstacles, there were wounds and pains to the soul. The group’s most gifted scorer, Patrik Laine, played just 18 games before taking care of his mental health. The best defender, Zach Werenski, missed a dozen games, captain Boone Jenner around thirty. Youngsters Yegor Chinakhov and Adam Fantilli saw promising seasons end due to injuries too. Number one goalie Elvis Merzlikins hasn’t been very good.
Young center Cole Sillinger, the 12th overall pick in 2021, had a promising end to the season with seven points in ten games and got the usage time as a result. Kent Johnson, on the other hand, has regressed. This fifth overall pick in 2021 even started the season in the American League after a 40-point year the previous season in his NHL debut.
The sixth overall pick in 2022, right-handed defenseman David Jiricek, just 20, has been in and out of the minors and the National League. Too strong for the AHL, still needs improvement to dominate in the NHL. He has shown his displeasure a few times.
Pascal Vincent’s successor will take office under significantly more favorable conditions. He will have free rein for a few years since his boss is firmly in position for the next seasons as well.
The Blue Jackets won’t have the pressure to win in the short term next winter, unlike last year, with the bosses trying to save their asses. Columbus also has a good young core, to which could be added a talented player drafted fourth overall in ten days, and who knows players chosen in the first two rounds in recent seasons, Gavin Brindley, Denton Mateychuk and also, especially, the return to health of Fantilli.
After crushing the Panthers 8-1 in Game 4, the Oilers will try to avoid elimination again on Tuesday night, this time in Florida. The Panthers won the first three meetings.
