If he is not fired, I will leave the COLORADO AVALANCHE head coach, as he has a misunderstanding with his player.

If he is not fired, I will leave the COLORADO AVALANCHE head coach, as he has a misunderstanding with his player.

The head coach of the Colorado Avalanche had a disagreement with one of his players; therefore, if he is not sacked, I will step down.

The Colorado Avalanche‘s head coach and vice president of hockey operations, Patrick Roy, announced his resignation in a statement on Thursday.

Roy was the head coach and vice president of hockey operations for three seasons. He went 130-92-24 and was named the NHL’s best coach in 2014, receiving the Jack Adams Award. But the previous two seasons, the Avalanche were unable to make it to the postseason.

Though Frank Seravalli of TSN wasn’t overly surprised by Roy’s move, speculation will abound on why he chose to step down—and maybe more crucially, why he chose to walk down in August, two months before the start of the regular season:

Constantly obstinate and sentimental Despite his exceptional skill, I must admit that I’m shocked at the exact moment Roy would have had enough of him or Avs of him.

But as Roy pointed out, his goals for the organization weren’t the same as those of others in the building. In particular, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post surmised that Roy’s decision to leave was significantly influenced by the NHL draft this year:

Patrick Roy’s remarks may indicate that he will play a smaller part in the June NHL Draft. The #Avs went strong in the NCAA and didn’t choose any QMJHL players.

There will now be unanswered questions about the Avs’ potential next head coach. It will undoubtedly be a difficult undertaking for whoever fills the position to work with the players and install a new system in just two months.

Furthermore, Roy’s future actions will be attentively watched. Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski believes Roy might be returning to a well-known company:

Whether Bergevin likes Roy or not, it’s very clear that he’s in the middle of things for MTL. mostly because GM will be in trouble if Therrien leaves.

Roy, who began his Hall of Fame playing career with the Montreal Canadiens prior to being traded to the Avalanche, would find it to be an intriguing leap. Roy has now placed the Avalanche in a risky situation prior to the 2016–17 season, regardless of his next move.