The season-ending defeat for the Colorado Avalanche to the Dallas Stars still stings, echoing for several changes across the fanbase. What changes there are could create a difference by this time next year.

There has already been one change, with General Manager Chris MacFarland announcing power play and assistant coach Ray Bennett had been let go from the organization. No others have been made since the press conference on Monday, but others could come – lineup aside.

Other Coaches

Bennett could have been the start of a string of firings from the Avalanche. Nolan Pratt and Jussi Parkala have also been involved with the team for some time. If the team decides they want to take more drastic changes and swings at things, they could be next on the chopping block.

Of course, it could also include Head Coach Jared Bednar. Joe Sakic, joined by MacFarland, said they have 100% faith going forward with Bednar as the head coach. But this has happened before with the Avs’ last head coach, legendary goaltender Patrick Roy.

Things could very well change between now and training camp in September. This could be based on differences of interest, perhaps players could come out against him, who knows? It’s highly unlikely, but not a foregone conclusion, depending on how things unravel in the summer.

Front Office Staff

Changes could come from even higher than the coaching staff. Calls have also been made to remove MacFarland as the general manager, perhaps even reinstating Sakic in the role. That call would have to come from owners Stan Kroenke and Josh Kroenke.

The reason why this seems more plausible than before is by looking at the neighbors in Ball Arena. The Denver Nuggets let go of head coach Michael Malone, along with general manager Calvin Booth. All of this unfolded just mere days before the start of the NBA Playoffs. Now, the Nuggets are competing in the second round of the playoffs.

If they saw drastic changes late on, it could indeed make the difference; they could try the same with the Avalanche. There’s still a long summer to go with lots of things highly unlikely, but anything is possible.