DENVER (AP) — Captain Gabriel Landeskog explained the collapse as an “empty feeling."
Defenseman Cale Makar described it as “tough,” while Logan O'Connor was even more direct about the season's end.
“Feels like a waste, to be honest,” the Colorado Avalanche forward said.
The emotions were bitter and raw in the aftermath of the Presidents' Trophy winners being swept by Vegas. The speed of the Avalanche — their trademark — was neutralized by the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. Their power play — shaky all season — was a nonfactor.
Changes appear on the horizon, whether it's to the coaching staff, roster or playing style. The Avalanche became the seventh No. 1 seed in league history to be swept in a best-of-seven series, according to NHL Stats.
Ask goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, though, and there's no question the Avalanche should run it back with their core.
“Yeah," Blackwood said, “because they are freaking amazing players.”
Coach Jared Bednar and his future were a hot topic on social media following the 2-1 loss in Game 4 in which the Avalanche struggled at times to get the puck into the Vegas zone. He has one year left on his contact.
“It takes a little bit of time,” Bednar said of processing the series loss. “I can’t really answer that right now. I think that takes a little bit of time with reflection.”
Going into the postseason, Colorado was a favorite to win the Stanley Cup — with good reason.
This team was No. 1 in the league from Nov. 1 until the end of the regular season. They had a club-record 121 points with Nathan MacKinnon (a career-best 53 goals) and Makar leading the way. The team ranked first in both goals per game (3.63) and goals-against (2.40).
The Avalanche cruised through the first two rounds against Los Angeles and Minnesota with an 8-1 record. Then, Vegas and its swarming defense brought the season to a close. Colorado had seven goals all series against the Golden Knights.
“We said it in training camp, it’s Cup or bust for us,” O'Connor said. "We let down coaches, each other, fans, management. It’s on us as players to be far better than we were. The results speak for itself. Lot of disappointment right now.”
The power play was 1 for 10 in the Vegas series. Not a big surprise, given team struggled with it in the regular season, too. They were 45 of 263 (17.1%) after assistant coach Dave Hakstol was brought in to fix it. The team was at 24.8% on the power play in 2024-25.
Back to the drawing board.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last handful of years, get knocked down, you just get right back up,” Landeskog said. “That’s the only way to do it.”
For the most part, Colorado will return a similar roster. One of the big decisions will be Brent Burns, the 41-year-old defenseman who’s trying to win his first Stanley Cup. Burns has appeared in 1,007 consecutive regular-season games, trailing only Phil Kessel (1,064).
Other pending free agents include defensemen Brett Kulak, Nick Blankenburg and Jack Ahcan, along with forward Joel Kiviranta. Jack Drury is a restricted free agent.
“We have a lot of good players that are staying around still,” defenseman Josh Manson said. “As long as we keep building around those guys I think we can be competitive.”
Makar didn’t want to delve into the injuries that caused him to miss the opening two games of the Vegas series. The Norris Trophy finalist was held without a point against the Golden Knights.
“I’m not the type of guy to talk with that,” said Makar, who had 20 goals and 59 assists in the regular season. “Did everything I can to feel good and come back and feel confident in my play, and felt 100% out there.”
MacKinnon also was dinged up after blocking a shot with his right knee in Game 3, but played in Game 4. Valeri Nichushkin, though, was sidelined for Tuesday’s season-ending loss.
“There’s a lot of guys dealing with stuff," Bednar said. “I’m sure it’s the same on every team.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Cole Smith (22) celebrates after scoring against Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (39) during the third period in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Cole Smith (22) celebrates after scoring against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights players celebrate as Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) skates by at the end of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
