On Friday, the National Hockey League announced that the Vegas Golden Knights will forfeit a second-round pick in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft as punishment for flagrant violations of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Media Regulations.
Additionally, Vegas head coach John Tortorella has been personally fined $100,000.
According to the official release from the league, the severe penalties stem directly from incidents following Vegas's series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, May 14.
Wow. The #NHL has docked the Vegas @GoldenKnights a second round pick for a “flagrant” violation of the league’s media policy.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 15, 2026
Coach John Tortorella has also been fined $100,000. pic.twitter.com/6uy69lHBa1
While the league did not publicly detail the specific nature of Thursday's infractions, Tortorella has a long, highly publicized history of clashing with the media and sidestepping press conference obligations. The NHL's statement made it clear that Thursday’s events were the final straw, noting that "the imposition of these penalties comes after previous warnings were issued to the Club regarding their compliance with the Media Regulations and other associated policies."
The Golden Knights organization has been offered the opportunity to appeal the penalties directly to the Commissioner’s Office. Should Vegas choose to fight the ruling, the appeal hearing will take place in person next week in New York.