The Vegas Golden Knights received a major punishment from the NHL for breaking playoff media rules. The league took away the team’s 2026 second-round draft pick and fined head coach John Tortorella $100,000 after Game 6 of the second-round series.

The issue started after Vegas eliminated the Anaheim Ducks and reached the Western Conference Final. Tortorella skipped the required postgame press conference. The team also failed to open the locker room, and access was not given to the reporters.

Only a few players briefly spoke to the media after the win. The NHL called these actions flagrant violations of playoff media rules and said the team had already received earlier warnings about media access.

The punishment quickly becomes a talking point across the hockey world because losing a second-round draft pick is a serious penalty in today’s NHL. Teams value draft picks highly because they help build depth and keep teams competitive for many years.

Reports suggest the Vegas Golden Knights were unhappy after the NHL suspended Brayden McNabb for one game because of a Game 5 incident.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said that frustration may have led to the team avoiding the media after Game 6. The team later said they knew about the NHL’s decision and would not make any more comments.

What happened in Game 5 between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks?

It all started in Game 5 of Round 2 between the Knights and the Ducks. Brayden McNabb hit Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Poehling very hard during Game 5, even though Poehling did not have the puck.

Poehling did not see the hit coming and crashed into the boards. He got injured and needed help leaving the ice.

The referees gave McNabb a five-minute major penalty, and he wasn’t allowed to take the ice in that game. Later, the NHL suspended him for one game because the league said the hit was dangerous interference.

The Knights won that close game by 3-2 in OT. Later, they also won Game 6 by 5-1 and secured a place in the Western Conference Final. Now, they will play against the Colorado Avalanche in the series, starting on May 20, 2026.  

The Vegas Golden Knights have already received the punishment. Now, they can challenge the decision, but reports say it is unlikely to be overturned because the team was warned earlier about media duties. Now, we will see what happens next.

Read more at the NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason