Pascal Vincent: comparisons to be made with Jared Bednar

There are comparisons to be made between Jared Bednar and Pascal Vincent.

Both men enjoyed success before arriving in the NHL. Whether in the QMJHL, the ECHL or the AHL, both managed to make a name for themselves behind the bench.

Both have either won a Coach of the Year title or an AHL championship.

But what really makes the two so similar is, of course, the fact that in both cases, Vincent and Bednar replaced a big NHL name without much time to prepare themselves.

Whether relieving Patrick Roy (Denver, 2016) or Mike Babcock (Columbus, 2023), Bednar and Vincent inherited a bad team with very little time to build a training camp.

And both had an ugly season to boot.

Are we saying that Pascal Vincent is sure to become Jared Bednar? That’s not what we’re saying. But the fact remains that the two cases are similar… so far.

After that, there’s one major difference: Joe Sakic is still the Avalanche GM and he’s put his faith in Bednar. And Bednar has made the playoffs for the last seven seasons, winning the Stanley Cup in the process. Vincent, on the other hand, was fired by the Blue Jackets’ new GM, Don Waddell.

The question is, what will happen to him if he returns to the NHL? And in Craig Button’s eyes, we’re talking about an excellent coach who should be inspired by Bednar to return to the NHL one day.

In the meantime, it’s obviously the Laval Rocket who will benefit from his vast experience behind the bench. He’ll be able to get his feet wet in the Canadiens’ organization and show his worth by managing the club’s top prospects.

Will this bring him back to the NHL one day? Maybe it will.

But if it does, let’s not forget that with a little more time and the confidence of his bosses, he could have the chance to put his feet up and aspire to do what Bednar did.

And if that’s the case, and Vincent lives up to the adage that an NHL coach is at his best in his second head coaching job, a club could benefit.