The Colorado Avalanche agreed to a two-year contract extension with coach Jared Bednar after guiding the team to back-to-back playoff appearances.
His contract runs through the 2021-22 season, the team announced Tuesday.
Bednar is 103-116-27 in three seasons at the helm of the Avalanche. He earned his 100th NHL coaching victory on March 27 against Vegas.
After the team struggled in his first season in charge, Bednar got the Avalanche back on track. The team made a 47-point turnaround in 2017-18, which matched the fourth-highest year-to-year improvement in league history.
In 2018-19, the eighth-seeded Avalanche beat Calgary during the first round for the club’s first playoff series win since 2008. Colorado was eliminated in seven games by San Jose in the next round.
Sabres, Blackhawks swap prospects
The Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres exchanged former first-round picks Tuesday.
The Blackhawks will receive 21-year-old forward Alexander Nylander while sending 20-year-old defenceman Henri Jokiharju to Buffalo.
Nylander, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2016 draft, appeared in 19 career games for Buffalo, including 12 last season, when he had two goals and two assists. Jokiharju, selected 29th in the 2017 first round, posted 12 assists in 38 games for Chicago as a rookie last season.
Nylander, a native of Calgary, had 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 49 games for the AHL’s Rochester Americans last season. Jokiharju, from Finland, posted 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 30 games for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.