Dave Hakstol’s run with the Avalanche appears set to end after Wednesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars, with the veteran coach moving on to take over at Arizona State.
Several sources, including ESPN, say Hakstol will be named interim head coach of the Sun Devils on Thursday in Lowell, Massachusetts, where Arizona State is scheduled to face UMass in a two-game series. The Sun Devils are 2-2.
Colorado is expected to fill Hakstol’s spot with Brett MacLean, who previously worked as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks. MacLean also spent two seasons with the Avalanche as a player, skating for Colorado in 2005-06 and 2006-07.
Hakstol arrived in Denver last summer after the Avalanche moved on from Ray Bennett, and his job was clear from the start: help stabilize a power play that had struggled through last season, especially in the playoffs. That area has remained a problem.
The move to Arizona State also carries a family tie, since Hakstol’s son, Brenden, plays for the Sun Devils club team. Hakstol brings a long coaching résumé to the college game, having previously been the head coach of both the Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken.
The Avalanche were 0 for 3 on the power play with about five minutes left in the second period against Dallas, though they did score a power-play goal Tuesday on the road against the Stars at American Airlines Center.
Nothing is official until the announcements are made, but all signs point to Colorado getting a new voice in charge of its power play soon.
In Other News...
Avalanche Lose A Bench Voice At An Awkward Time For Special Teams
Dave Hakstols time on the Avalanche bench is ending at a tricky stretch for the staff, with the veteran coach coaching his final game in Colorado and then expected to move into the interim head coaching role at Arizona State University. For an Avalanche team that has leaned on every voice behind the bench, its a notable shift, and Brett McLean is set to step in and take Hakstols place on the staff.
The timing adds an extra layer to the move, since Arizona State has been searching for an experienced coach after Greg Powers was placed on administrative leave. For Colorado, the immediate takeaway is simple enough: one of the familiar voices around the room is leaving, and the Avalanche will have to adjust quickly while special teams remains under the microscope. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Bigger Problem Than Their Scoring Can Hide
The Avalanches early-season scoring has been good enough to keep most nights from feeling too heavy, but the cracks underneath are getting harder to ignore. Special teams have been the clearest issue so far, with an ineffective power play and a penalty kill sitting 15th in the league, leaving Colorado searching for cleaner structure in the moments that so often decide tight games.
The problem showed up again in the loss to Dallas, when a turnover by Cale Makar led to a shorthanded goal against, a sequence that summed up how costly the margin has become. Now there is another wrinkle to watch, with assistant coach Dave Hakstol leaving for Arizona State University and Brett McLean stepping in as his replacement, a change that could bring adjustments to how the Avalanche handle those pressure points. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Still Have One Costly Problem Against Central Division Contenders
After taking the first half of the back-to-back in Dallas, the Avalanche came home to Ball Arena and found the Stars had a quick answer. Colorado pushed the game to a shootout in a 3-2 loss, with Gabe Landeskog and Brock Nelson providing the goals in regulation and Nazem Kadri scoring for Colorado in the extra session.
It was another reminder that the Central Division still presents a different kind of test for the Avalanche, even early in the season. Colorado sits at 4-2-1 overall and 2-1-1 against division opponents, but Dallas answered with a shorthanded goal, an even-strength goal and a stronger shootout finish, leaving the Avalanche with one more night to sort out a problem that keeps showing up when the games get tight. [Read more 🡒]