MacFarland leaves the Avalanche after 11 years with the organization. He was named assistant GM on May 21, 2015, and helped rebuild a team that was last in the League in 2016-17 (22-56-4) into one that has made the playoffs in every subsequent season. Colorado’s 119 points led the West in 2021-22 and it went 16-4 in the postseason en route to winning its first Stanley Cup championship since 2001 with a six-game victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sakic will resume the role of Avalanche GM for the foreseeable future, owner Josh Kroenke said. That includes the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft and the start of the League year.
“We would like to thank Chris for all he did for the Avalanche organization,” Kroenke said. “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.
“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.”
Before joining the Avalanche, MacFarland worked for the Columbus Blue Jackets in hockey operations for 16 years. He played college hockey at Pace University and began his career on the business side of the sport as an intern for the NHL out of the New York office from 1993-94 and worked in NHL Productions while attending law school at Pace.
“We could not be more pleased that Chris has elected to join the Predators organization and lead our hockey operations group,” Haslam said. “We conducted an exhaustive search and were able to meet with several very qualified and impressive candidates, but all along, we were hopeful to interview Chris. He turned out to be a perfect fit for us – just what we were looking for to lead our organization moving forward.
“I’d like to thank the Colorado Avalanche, the Kroenke family and Joe Sakic for giving Chris permission to talk with us and for supporting his desire to make this move. I’d also like to thank the members of our search committee, those who expressed interest in joining the Predators in this role, and especially Barry Trotz for his work in positioning Chris for success. We appreciate everyone’s time and effort in this endeavor.”
