Colorado Avalanche add veteran coach Dave Hakstol to revamp power play unit
The Colorado Avalanche have added experience to their coaching staff by hiring former Seattle Kraken and Philadelphia Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol as an assistant coach. The move comes after a disappointing postseason performance on the power play, prompting the team to part ways with assistant Ray Bennett.
Hakstol will be tasked with revitalizing a talented unit led by stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
Dave Hakstol joins Colorado Avalanche staff to improve power play led by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar
Hakstol, 56, brings a wealth of NHL experience to the Avalanche bench. His most recent stint was as the head coach of the Seattle Kraken, where he led the expansion team to the playoffs in 2023 and notably eliminated Colorado in a seven-game first-round series. Prior to that, he coached the Philadelphia Flyers for parts of four seasons, finishing with a record of 134–101–42.
The Avalanche struggled mightily on the man advantage in the 2025 postseason, going just 3-for-22 in a seven-game series loss to the Dallas Stars. That underwhelming performance prompted a coaching shakeup, and Hakstol will now be responsible for restructuring the power play. Despite having elite talent in MacKinnon and Makar, Colorado also allowed seven short-handed goals during the series, exposing deeper issues with special teams execution.
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General manager Chris MacFarland called Hakstol
'a valuable addition'
and praised his extensive coaching background, both in the NHL and at the collegiate level, where Hakstol led the University of North Dakota to seven Frozen Four appearances in 11 seasons.
A strong fit alongside Jared Bednar's bench
Hakstol joins a coaching group led by head coach Jared Bednar and including Nolan Pratt, goaltending coach Jussi Parkkila, and video coach Brett Heimlich. The Avalanche are looking to bounce back after another promising regular season ended early in the playoffs.
In addition to his NHL résumé, Hakstol has won two silver medals as an assistant with Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship (2017, 2019), coaching players like MacKinnon and goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood.
The hiring of Dave Hakstol signals the Colorado Avalanche's commitment to addressing one of their most glaring postseason weaknesses. With a deep roster and renewed focus on special teams, Colorado will look to make a deeper playoff run in 2025–26 under a more experienced and balanced coaching staff.
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