Colorado’s front office confirmed Chris MacFarland’s departure after Nashville’s hiring. In a statement from Josh Kroenke, the Avalanche thanked MacFarland for the organization’s decade of success, including the 2022 Stanley Cup, and said Joe Sakic will resume
DENVER — The news landed quietly in a statement from Josh Kroenke, but the message carried a clear signal: Chris MacFarland is leaving Colorado’s organization, and the Avalanche are immediately moving to keep the machinery of winning in place.
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke released the following statement regarding the Nashville Predators’ hiring of Avalanche General Manager Chris MacFarland. “We would like to thank Chris for all he did for the Avalanche organization. Chris was instrumental in our success over the last decade and a key part our 2022 Stanley Cup championship. This was an opportunity for him to take on a bigger role with the Predators while being closer to his family. We wish him and his family all the best in Nashville.”.
In the same message, Colorado outlined who will take over. “(Avalanche President) Joe Sakic will resume the General Manager duties for the foreseeable future. including through this month’s draft and the start of the league year. In Joe’s previous stint as GM, he helped build the current roster and led us to the 2022 Stanley Cup. We are confident in Joe’s leadership and that we will continue to build upon our recent success as we seek to bring another Cup back to Colorado.”.
Sakic is 56. Before this current transition. he previously served as Colorado’s Executive Vice President/General Manager for nine seasons from 2013-14 to 2021-22. leading the franchise to the 2022 Stanley Cup while capturing the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award that summer. He is also a rare figure in NHL history: Sakic. who captained the Avalanche to a pair of Stanley Cup championships as a player in 1996 and 2001. is the only individual in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup as a captain and GM with the same organization.
The timeline inside the organization extends beyond his GM years. The 2025-26 campaign was Sakic’s 15th season in the Avalanche’s front office. He originally joined the front office as Executive Advisor/Alternate Governor, a position he was hired for on March 25, 2011. Sakic was named EVP on May 10, 2013 and named President of Hockey Operations on July 11, 2022.
For fans looking for more than a paper statement, the Avalanche also offered a next step. Sakic will be made available to the media when he returns to town next week. Date, time and location will be announced on Monday.
The departure of MacFarland. and the immediate return of Sakic to GM duties through this month’s draft and the start of the league year. sets the tone inside the building: the team is not treating the change as a pause. It is treating it as a handoff. with the focus staying fixed on the next stretch — and on Colorado’s next run at a Cup back in its home colors.
Colorado Avalanche Chris MacFarland Nashville Predators Joe Sakic Josh Kroenke General Manager duties 2022 Stanley Cup draft league year
So they’re just swapping people again? I don’t even follow hockey that hard but this sounds like the same story every year.
Wait MacFarland left for Nashville already? I thought the GM thing was supposed to be like a contract or something, not just a quiet statement. Also Joe Sakic resumes GM duties… so is he gonna start trading for players or what.
How is Sakic even allowed to “resume” GM duties again like it’s a part-time job lol. The article says he built the roster but like did he actually pick the guys or is that just PR talk? Feels like whoever’s in charge, the Cup still comes down to luck.
I heard Nashville hired him because Nashville’s “closer to family” means like the team pays more or something. But then Colorado says it’s just opportunity. idk. The draft is this month right, so Sakic is gonna be making moves again right away? Feels weird that MacFarland was there for a decade and then poof, gone, like totally missed the timing.