It’s hard not to raise an eyebrow at the timing of Dave Hakstol’s departure from the Colorado Avalanche. Just days after Jared Bednar signed a four-year extension, Hakstol was on his way to Arizona State University to become its next head coach.
Does that mean there was tension between the two? There’s no evidence to suggest that, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But the timing of everything surrounding Hakstol’s exit was certainly strange.
Rumors had been circulating for days that Hakstol was leaving Colorado, with reports suggesting a deal with Arizona State was close. The Avalanche, meanwhile, had only confirmed that they gave the university permission to interview him.
Then came Wednesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars at Ball Arena. Reports surfaced before puck drop that it would be Hakstol’s final game with the Avalanche. Colorado lost 3-2, Bednar was asked about his assistant afterward, and there was still no real update. By Thursday morning, the news was official.
It was an odd way for things to unfold, especially barely a week into the season.
What makes the timing more interesting is Bednar’s extension. He’s now under contract through the 2030-31 season, giving Colorado some long-term stability behind the bench. But it also raises a fair question: Did that commitment have any bearing on Hakstol’s decision?
We don't know. Still, Hakstol isn't someone who's spent his entire career as an assistant hoping for a first shot at running his own team.
He spent 15 seasons as head coach at the University of North Dakota before moving to the NHL, where he led the Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken. He also worked as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining Colorado. He's been a head coach before, and there's little doubt he knows what it takes to lead a program.
If getting another head coaching opportunity was important to him, Arizona State gave him that chance. With Bednar committed to Colorado for years to come, Hakstol may have decided it was time to pursue something else. That's speculation, of course, but it's a reasonable question to ask.
There's also the family connection. Hakstol's son, Brenden, plays for Arizona State's club hockey team. Perhaps being closer to his son was part of the appeal. Perhaps it wasn't a factor at all. Without hearing it from Hakstol himself, we simply don't know.
There's also a personal angle worth considering. Hakstol's son, Brenden, plays for Arizona State's club hockey team, so the opportunity to be closer to his son could make the move appealing. Whether that played any role in his decision is something we simply don't know, but it's an interesting detail given the timing of his departure from Colorado.
At the same time, ASU's hockey program is dealing with serious questions following Matthew Mayich's exertional heat stroke during a team workout in August. Mayich remains hospitalized, and the incident has raised concerns about player safety and accountability. Former head coach Greg Powers and the university have since reached a “mutual agreement to part ways.”
Hakstol brings considerable coaching experience to the program, but helping restore confidence and ensuring players are properly protected will be important challenges moving forward. Whether the circumstances surrounding the program factored into his decision to take the job is something only Hakstol can answer.
What I keep coming back to is the timing. Leaving after a season is one thing. Leaving seven days into a new one is something else entirely.
Whatever went into the decision, Hakstol deserves credit for his work in Colorado. The power play had its struggles, but his experience on the defensive side shouldn't be overlooked. He was also always kind to those of us in the media, and I appreciated that.
I'm not suggesting there's some behind-the-scenes feud between Hakstol and Bednar. There's nothing to support that claim. But between Bednar's extension, the sudden departure and the confusing reports leading up to the announcement, it's fair to wonder how everything came together so quickly.
Still, the timing is hard to ignore. And until we know more, it's worth asking questions without pretending we already have the answers.