In an exclusive interview with Guerilla Sports’ Meghan Angley at Monday’s Alumni Golf Tournament, Logan O’Connor opened up about the Avalanche’s crushing Western Conference Final sweep and what Colorado must learn from it.
The Colorado Avalanche were nine wins into a postseason that looked increasingly like a championship run. Then Vegas brought it to a stunning halt.
After sweeping the Los Angeles Kings and eliminating the Minnesota Wild in five games, Colorado was swept by the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final—a finish that still weighs on Logan O’Connor.
“I think just the way we lost is tough,” O’Connor told Guerilla Sports’ Meghan Angley at Monday’s Alumni Golf Tournament. “Losing in four was definitely a wake-up call.”
For O’Connor, the abrupt ending was difficult to reconcile with how far the Avalanche had come. A year after losing a seven-game first-round battle with the Dallas Stars, Colorado won the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s best regular-season team. The Avalanche also led the league in goals scored while allowing the fewest goals of any team. And after finally breaking through to the Western Conference Final, Colorado’s season was over in what seemed like an instant.
“I don’t know if we underestimated Vegas or just didn’t play close to our potential,” O’Connor said. “Or they—you know, give them credit too. They played a great series as well. But I just didn’t think we had our stuff.”
The disappointment has not diminished what Colorado accomplished, but O’Connor knows the Avalanche measure themselves against a higher standard.
“Conference finals is nothing to slouch about,” he said. “But we know the goal of our group is to win the Stanley Cup again.”
The Avalanche will have some new faces when they reconvene for training camp.
Colorado traded Jack Drury to the Nashville Predators for Fedor Svechkov and Zach L’Heureux, signed Jaden Schwartz to a three-year contract and acquired Fabian Lysell from the Boston Bruins for Ivan Ivan. Veteran forward Vinnie Hinostroza was also added.
O’Connor believes the newcomers, along with younger players competing for opportunities, can inject the group with a different kind of hunger.
“We’re gonna have room for younger players this year,” O’Connor said. “I think that’s a big thing—the different type of hunger young players can provide.”
The responsibility, he said, will extend beyond the newcomers themselves. Colorado’s established players will need to bring them into the fold quickly and reinforce the identity that has made the Avalanche a perennial contender.
The goal is to establish that identity early, trust the process and remain connected through the inevitable adversity of an 84-game season.
“Just focus on ourselves, I think, try and trust our process,” O’Connor said. “Figure out what gives our group success early on.”
There is also something valuable about experiencing a loss as jarring as the one Colorado suffered against Vegas.
“Failing as a group can bring a group together,” O’Connor said.
That may ultimately be the biggest challenge facing the Avalanche. They have already experienced the frustration of falling short, but now they have a conference-final appearance to build upon rather than simply a first-round defeat to overcome.
“Once you get a taste of how close it can be, it hurts that much more,” O’Connor said. “So, it’s on us to come back with more hunger, more details, and learn from our mistakes going forward.”
O’Connor’s own season also carried some added significance. He returned to the lineup late in the regular season following a prolonged recovery from hip surgery, his second in as many years. After recording two assists in 13 regular-season games, O’Connor appeared in all 13 of Colorado’s playoff games, recording one goal and one assist.
One of the more encouraging individual stories from Colorado’s season was Parker Kelly, who enjoyed a career year and earned the admiration of his teammates.
Kelly played in all 82 games during the 2025-26 regular season, setting career highs across the board with 21 goals, 14 assists and 35 points.
O’Connor said Kelly’s work ethic has never been in question, making his breakthrough particularly rewarding to watch.
“His work ethic is undeniable,” O’Connor said. “His charisma, as a person, and the attitude he brings every day, in his work, throughout the locker room—he’s a loved teammate.”
Kelly’s production was a reflection of the work he had put in long before the results followed.
“Seeing him get rewarded with a great year goes to show all the work he’s put in,” O’Connor said. “It was definitely really cool to see, and we’re rooting for him to do it again now.”
For the Avalanche, the next season begins with a familiar objective—and a painful reminder of how quickly it can disappear into thin air.
The Stanley Cup remains the goal. This time, Colorado intends to be better prepared when the tide gets rough.
