“BENCH HIM… ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” Furious Avalanche Fans Demand Jared Bednar Make a Brutal Lineup Change

Colorado Avalanche fans are losing patience — and the pressure is now squarely on Jared Bednar to make a ruthless decision before one struggling player becomes a bigger problem.

DENVER — The mood around the Colorado Avalanche has changed.

Not long ago, simply criticizing Jared Bednar’s lineup decisions would have sounded almost ridiculous. The veteran coach had just guided Colorado to one of the best regular seasons in franchise history, finishing the 2025-26 campaign with a stunning 55-16-11 record and 121 points, good enough for the Presidents’ Trophy.

But winning buys patience — it does not buy unlimited patience.

And now, some Avalanche fans are asking a brutal question:

Why is this player still getting so much trust?

The online frustration has produced the kind of reaction that can turn a routine lineup decision into a full-blown hockey soap opera.

“BENCH HIM. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”

That sentiment may be louder than it is universal, but it captures the growing frustration surrounding a player who, in the eyes of angry supporters, simply has not done enough to justify continued faith in the starting lineup.

Bednar Has a Difficult Decision

The uncomfortable part for Bednar is that this is not simply about one bad shift or one ugly game.

It is about the accumulation of moments.

Missed opportunities. Failed defensive assignments. Lost battles. Poor puck decisions. Long stretches where the player appears unable to influence the game in a meaningful way.

And when you’re playing for the Avalanche, “not hurting the team” is not necessarily good enough.

Colorado’s expectations are different.

This is a roster built around stars such as Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, with championship ambitions and very little tolerance for passengers.

The Avalanche finished first in the NHL during the regular season, yet their 2026 postseason ultimately ended against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. NHL footage from that series shows Bednar dealing with the pressure of keeping his lineup competitive as the season reached its breaking point.

That context matters.

When a team is chasing the Stanley Cup, every lineup spot becomes precious.

“Why Keep Rewarding Him?”

This is where the argument from frustrated fans becomes understandable.

A coach can defend a player because of experience, defensive responsibility, chemistry or trust. Those are legitimate hockey reasons.

But fans see something much simpler:

Production.

If another player is working harder, creating more chances and making fewer mistakes, why shouldn’t that player get the opportunity?

That question becomes especially difficult when the struggling player continues receiving prominent minutes.

And that is where Bednar’s loyalty can become a storyline of its own.

Bednar has built enormous credibility in Colorado. He led the Avalanche to the 2022 Stanley Cup and has become one of the most successful coaches in franchise history.

But successful coaches eventually face the same problem:

The players who helped you win yesterday may not always be the players who give you the best chance to win tomorrow.

The Numbers Make the Debate Even Louder

Colorado’s 2025-26 regular season was extraordinary.

The Avalanche scored at an elite level and produced a roster loaded with offensive firepower. Their top players were among the league’s most productive, while the club consistently dominated opponents over an 82-game schedule.

That makes the underperformance of any individual even more noticeable.

When your stars are producing, the supporting cast does not necessarily need to become a superstar.

But it cannot become a liability.

That’s the line Bednar must identify.

If the player is providing something that does not show up in the box score — defensive positioning, penalty killing, physical play, puck retrievals — there is an argument for keeping him in.

If those contributions are disappearing too?

Then the coach has a problem.

And This Is Where the Drama Gets Real

Imagine Bednar finally makes the move.

The player is scratched.

A younger or less-established option enters the lineup.

If Colorado wins, the decision immediately looks brilliant.

If Colorado loses, the criticism swings in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, Bednar is accused of overreacting to fan pressure.

That’s the nightmare scenario for any coach.

The Avalanche don’t need Bednar to listen to social media.

They need him to make the correct hockey decision.

That distinction is enormous.

There is also evidence that Bednar is not afraid to make lineup adjustments when necessary. Colorado’s projected lineups have already shown flexibility around injuries, personnel and combinations, while the coach has repeatedly emphasized roster health and lineup decisions.

So the real question isn’t whether Bednar will change things.

It is whether he will change them before frustration becomes a bigger issue.

One More Bad Game Could Change Everything

This is how these controversies usually explode.

One bad performance becomes two.

Two become three.

Then suddenly every mistake is magnified.

The player isn’t just making a bad pass anymore — fans are asking why he is even on the ice.

The coach isn’t simply protecting his lineup — supporters start accusing him of stubbornness.

And the locker room, whether fairly or unfairly, becomes part of the speculation.

That is why Bednar has to be careful.

He cannot allow one player’s struggles to become a distraction from the larger mission.

The Avalanche have already demonstrated that they are capable of building an elite regular season. The challenge now is turning that dominance into another championship.

So, Should Bednar Actually Bench Him?

Maybe. But not because fans are angry.

If the coaching staff believes another player gives Colorado a better five-on-five presence, stronger defensive reliability or more offensive upside, then yes — make the change.

No sentiment.

No reputation.

No fear of hurting feelings.

Just hockey.

But if the player is still performing valuable work away from the puck, then Bednar should trust his evaluation rather than the loudest voices online.

That is ultimately what makes this storyline so compelling.

The fans want a sacrifice. Bednar wants results.

And if this player gets another opportunity and delivers, the entire “BENCH HIM” movement could disappear overnight.

But if the mistakes continue?

Don’t be surprised if the chants get louder.

Because in Colorado, after a 121-point season and another painful postseason ending, “good enough” is no longer good enough.

And Jared Bednar may soon have to prove that nobody — no matter how established — is untouchable.