The NHL’s Colorado Avalanche have a new, yet familiar face as general manager.

Joe Sakic has taken over after Chris MacFarland was hired this week as GM of the Nashville Predators.

“We would like to thank Chris for all he did for the Avalanche organization,” said Kroenke Sports & Entertainment vice chairman Josh Kroenke. “Chris was instrumental in our success over the last decade and a key part of 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.

“(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 previously served as Colorado’s executive vice president/general manager for nine seasons from 2013-22, leading the franchise to the 2022 Stanley Cup while capturing the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award that summer.

Sakic, who captained the Avalanche to a pair of Stanley Cup championships as a player (1996, 2001), is the only individual in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup as a captain and GM with the same organization.

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 executive vice president on May 10, 2013 and named president of hockey operations on July 11, 2022.

Photo/Colorado Avalanche

— Colorado Avalanche Staff

(June 5, 2026)