Avalanche’s Joe Sakic to resume GM duties following Chris MacFarland’s departure
The Colorado Avalanche are once again turning to an old reliable in a time of need.
Chris MacFarland, who had been Colorado’s general manager since July of 2022, left to become the Nashville Predators‘ GM and president of hockey operations on Tuesday, leaving the Avalanche’s GM position vacant. Instead of conducting an external search or promoting from within, Colorado will be handing its GM duties back to Joe Sakic.
In Colorado, President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic will have the GM role returned to his portfolio…as he did before promoting MacFarland in 2022
Sakic, 56, had been the Avalanche’s GM from September of 2014 until he became the team’s president of hockey operations and ceded the role of GM to MacFarland. During Sakic’s initial tenure as GM, Colorado made the postseason in five out of eight seasons, including winning the Stanley Cup in 2022 just prior to Sakic stepping away from the job.
The Burnaby, British Columbia native has to be given a significant amount of credit for turning the Avalanche into the perennial Stanley Cup contender we see today. He joined the organization in 2011 as an executive advisor and alternate governor. In May of 2013, he was promoted to executive vice president of hockey operations before ultimately assuming the role of GM in 2014.
With Sakic as a major voice in Colorado’s hockey operations, either as advisor, vice president, or GM, the Avalanche drafted the players that became the cornerstones for their current era of success, including Nathan MacKinnon in 2013, Mikko Rantanen (who would later get moved for Martin Necas and Jack Drury) in 2015, and Cale Makar in 2017.
Of course, Sakic is a franchise legend as an Avalanche player, as well. He captained Colorado to Stanley Cup championships in 1996 and 2001, and is the franchise’s all-time leader in goals with 625 and points with 1641.
Sakic was officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.