{"id":1829,"date":"2026-05-27T19:36:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1829"},"modified":"2026-05-27T19:36:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:36:46","slug":"avalanche-search-for-offseason-answers-after-vegas-ends-presidents-trophy-winning-season-with-sweep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1829","title":{"rendered":"Avalanche search for offseason answers after Vegas ends Presidents’ Trophy-winning season with sweep"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
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)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

DENVER \u2014 Captain Gabriel Landeskog<\/a> explained the collapse as an \u201cempty feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defenseman Cale Makar described it as \u201ctough,\u201d while Logan O\u2019Connor was even more direct about the season\u2019s end.<\/p>

Read more Satou Sabally hopes to play when the Liberty host her former team, the Mercury<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFeels like a waste, to be honest,\u201d the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> forward said.<\/p>\n

The emotions were bitter and raw in the aftermath of the Presidents\u2019 Trophy winners being swept by Vegas<\/a> . The speed of the Avalanche \u2014 their trademark \u2014 was neutralized by the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. Their power play \u2014 shaky all season \u2014 was a nonfactor.<\/p>\n

Changes appear on the horizon, whether it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Ask goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, though, and there\u2019s no question the Avalanche should run it back with their core.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Blackwood said, \u201cbecause they are freaking amazing players.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a little bit of time,\u201d Bednar said of processing the series loss. \u201cI can\u2019t really answer that right now. I think that takes a little bit of time with reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Going into the postseason, Colorado was a favorite to win the Stanley Cup \u2014 with good reason.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe said it in training camp, it\u2019s Cup or bust for us,\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cWe let down coaches, each other, fans, management. It\u2019s on us as players to be far better than we were. The results speak for itself. Lot of disappointment right now.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Argentine police arrest 2 Chileans suspected of being in a group targeting NBA and NFL stars<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned over the last handful of years, get knocked down, you just get right back up,\u201d Landeskog said. \u201cThat\u2019s the only way to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s trying to win his first Stanley Cup. Burns has appeared in 1,007 consecutive regular-season games, trailing only Phil Kessel (1,064).<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of good players that are staying around still,\u201d defenseman Josh Manson said. \u201cAs long as we keep building around those guys I think we can be competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Makar didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not the type of guy to talk with that,\u201d said Makar, who had 20 goals and 59 assists in the regular season. \u201cDid everything I can to feel good and come back and feel confident in my play, and felt 100% out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s season-ending loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of guys dealing with stuff,\u201d Bednar said. \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s the same on every team.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Packers\u2019 Jacobs released from jail as prosecutors weigh filing charges<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NHL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/NHL<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Colorado Avalanche\u2019s speed was neutralized by Vegas, leading to a sweep in the Western Conference Final<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nAvalanche search for offseason answers after Vegas ends Presidents' Trophy-winning season with sweep - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1829\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Avalanche search for offseason answers after Vegas ends Presidents' Trophy-winning season with sweep - 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