The Colorado Avalanche are set to lose assistant coach Dave Hakstol, who is reportedly on the verge of taking over as head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils hockey club.
Hakstol spent last season with Colorado and has been on the Avalanche bench as an assistant coach since then. His coaching resume stretches well beyond Denver. He previously served as head coach of the Seattle Kraken from 2021-24, and before that he worked in a range of roles dating back to 1996, including head coach of the Sioux City Muskateers, assistant and associate coach at North Dakota, head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, and assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For Colorado, Hakstol’s departure lands at a bad time for a power play that has already been a headache. The unit was near the bottom of the league last season and, after a strong start this year, has slid to 22.2%, which currently ranks 12th-14th with two other teams carrying the same mark.
The Avalanche had tried to shake things up, including putting T.J. Hughes on the top unit with Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas.
Early on, that looked like it might solve something. Now, with Hakstol moving on, the team faces another reset in the area it has struggled with most.
One possible short-term answer would be Nolan Pratt. He could be the temporary voice in charge of the power play, and he would bring plenty of familiarity to the job. Pratt is close to the action and has three Stanley Cups on his résumé - two as a player and one as a coach from the Avalanche’s 2021-22 title run.
If Hakstol’s exit doesn’t help Colorado clean up the power play by season’s end, the organization may have to consider outside help. The source of the concern is clear enough: with so much talent on the roster, failing to get that part of the game under control would be a waste of the core’s prime and could stand in the way of another Stanley Cup.
Whether the Avalanche ever regret hiring Hakstol is a question that won’t be answered, but it has already come up before. For now, the move gives Hakstol a new opportunity, and the Avalanche another issue to sort through.
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Avalanche Suddenly Have More Riding On Trent Miner Than Expected
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For Colorado, Miner is suddenly carrying more long-term significance than a standard roster shuffle would suggest. He has been part of the organizations goaltending conversation before, and with the Avalanche dealing with current struggles and contract questions in net, his future role is drawing more attention than it might have a month ago. Even a move designed to clear a path for reassignment now feels tied to bigger decisions ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avs Assistant Leaves Colorado With One Big Question For Bednar
Dave Hakstols stint on the Avalanche staff appears to be ending after one season, with the former Colorado assistant expected to take over as the new head coach at Arizona State. His departure comes as ASU continues to navigate a messy and unsettling situation surrounding the program, with head coach Greg Powers on administrative leave while investigations continue into the collapse of player Matthew Mayich during off-season workouts.
For the Avalanche, the timing at least brings a clean break from a coach who had been running the power play, but it also leaves one obvious question for Jared Bednar and his staff: what comes next on that side of the bench? Colorado had allowed Hakstol to explore the ASU opening, and with the Sun Devils searching for stability amid ongoing inquiries by university police and legal actions from Mayichs family, his next step could come quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Could Lose A Coach Tied To One Lingering Problem
The Avalanche may be preparing for a coaching change off the ice, with assistant Dave Hakstol emerging as a candidate for a different bench job while Colorado tries to keep its staff intact. Hakstol remains with the Avalanche as of the latest practice, and Arizona State has not confirmed anything yet, but the situation has advanced far enough that Colorado has already granted permission for ASU to speak with him.
For an Avalanche team that has leaned on stability behind the bench, any movement involving Hakstol matters because of the role he has played in addressing one lingering problem. Negotiations are still ongoing, which leaves the door open to either a departure or a return to business as usual, but for now it adds another bit of uncertainty around a team that would prefer not to lose a coach in the middle of the seasons rhythm. [Read more 🡒]