For most players, reaching the Western Conference Final brings excitement and opportunity. But for the Colorado Avalanche forward Nicolas Roy, this year’s series feels more personal and complicated.

The Colorado Avalanche will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final, the same team Roy helped win the Stanley Cup in 2023. The series will bring intense hockey, but Roy must now play against some of his closest friends in the league.

Nicolas Roy said he is trying to forget those friendships until the series ends. "You know you aren't going to text each other for the next week-and-a-half, two weeks, and then we are going to talk about it. I think it is respect. For right now, we are putting the friendships aside a little bit, and we will talk after”, Roy said.

The 29-year-old further detailed his emotional intensity, stating, "Already the emotions are building up. It's a conference final. The emotions are already high enough. It just adds to it, I guess. I'm pretty excited to get it going, and we will see."​

The Vegas Golden Knights will play the Colorado next week with 11 players who were part of their 2023 Stanley Cup win against the Florida Panthers.

Nicolas Roy Talks About the ‘Similarities’ in the Avalanche’s and the Knights’ Systems

Nicolas Roy knows the Knights' system well because he has played for the team before. He understands how they approach games and knows players’ strengths and weaknesses.

Talking about this, he said that the Vegas Golden Knights are somewhat similar to the Colorado Avalanche. "They have an older group," Roy said. "Lots of experience. They have some depth, everybody can play in their lineup. They are physical, play simple. A lot of stuff is similar to us, I guess."

The Avalanche’s head coach also talked about the system of their upcoming opponents. He feels that not much has changed with their new coach, John Tortorella, since their Stanley Cup-winning season. 

"They have a lot of the same guys, but I would say for the most part we know this team pretty well too, their personnel, their tendencies, and the way they play," Bednar said. "Not a lot has changed with the new coach, but they are getting better results, and they are a hungry, hungry team."

Roy has also won the Stanley Cup with Vegas. Later, in July 2025, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. before the Colorado Avalanche acquired him for playoff depth in March 2026. He has been efficient in the playoffs with 6 points in 9 games and praised for his versatility. 

It will be interesting to watch if he can continue his good run against his old mates. Or do you think the emotions will get the better of him? 

Read more at the NHL Fan Central

Written by

Kapil Manghnani