NHL takes draft pick away from Golden Knights over media policy violation
TL;DR
The NHL has penalized the Vegas Golden Knights by stripping them of a 2026 second-round draft pick and fining head coach John Tortorella $100,000 for violating media policies. This decision follows the team's failure to meet media obligations after a playoff victory.
Key points
- NHL penalized Vegas Golden Knights for media policy violation
- Golden Knights lost a 2026 second-round draft pick
- Head coach John Tortorella fined $100,000
- Team had been warned before about media obligations
- Appeal process available for the penalties
Mentioned in this story
The NHL came down hard on the Vegas Golden Knights for violating media policies after the team advanced to the Western Conference final.
Head coach John Tortorella didn't meet with the media after the series-clinching 5-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, May 14, and the dressing room wasn't opened either, according to reporters.
The NHL said Friday it was taking a 2026 second-round pick away from the Golden Knights and was fining Tortorella $100,000. The league said the team had been warned before and that Vegas would be able to appeal the penalties. A hearing, if requested, would be held next week in New York.
The NHL is announcing the finalists for the Hart Trophy and the other major awards. Here's who is in the running (listed alphabetically):
Jack Adams Award (coach) finalist: Tampa Bay Lightning's Jon Cooper
Jack Adams finalist: Pittsburgh Penguins' Dan Muse
Jack Adams finalist: Buffalo Sabres' Lindy Ruff
Vezina Trophy (goaltender) New York Islanders' Ilya Sorokin
Vezina finalist: Boston Bruins' Jeremy Swayman
Vezina finalist: Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy
Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship) finalist: Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield
Lady Byng finalist: Los Angeles Kings' Anze Kopitar.
Lady Byng finalist: Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player) finalist: San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini
Ted Lindsay finalist: Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov
Ted Lindsay finalist: Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid
Masterton Trophy (perseverance) nominee: Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ville Husso
Masterton nominee: Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy
Masterton nominee: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin
Masterton nominee: Calgary Flames goaltender Devin Cooley
Masterton nominee: Carolina Hurricanes left wing Taylor Hall
Masterton nominee: Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight
Masterton nominee: Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog
Masterton nominee: Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner
Masterton nominee: Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn
Masterton nominee: Detroit Red Wings right wing Dominik Shine
Masterton nominee: Edmonton Oilers goalie Connor Ingram
Masterton nominee: Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand
Masterton nominee: Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar
Masterton nominee: Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt
Masterton nominee: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson
Masterton nominee: Nashville Predators right wing Ozzy Wiesblatt
Masterton nominee: New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon
Masterton nominee: New York Islanders center Kyle Palmieri
Masterton nominee: New York Rangers defenseman Matthew Robertson
Masterton nominee: Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark
Masterton nominee: Philadelphia Flyers left wing Garrett Wilson
Masterton nominee: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha
Masterton nominee: St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington
Masterton nominee: San Jose Sharks goalie Laurent Brossoit
Masterton nominee: Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle
Masterton nominee: Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh
Masterton nominee: Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Masterton nominee: Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller
Masterton nominee: Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen
Masterton nominee: Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Akira Schmid
Masterton nominee: Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin
Masterton nominee: Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews
1 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
The NHL is announcing the finalists for the Hart Trophy and the other major awards. Here's who is in the running (listed alphabetically):
1 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
The NHL is announcing the finalists for the Hart Trophy and the other major awards. Here's who is in the running (listed alphabetically):
2 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Jack Adams Award (coach) finalist: Tampa Bay Lightning's Jon Cooper
3 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Jack Adams finalist: Pittsburgh Penguins' Dan Muse
4 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Jack Adams finalist: Buffalo Sabres' Lindy Ruff
5 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Vezina Trophy (goaltender) New York Islanders' Ilya Sorokin
6 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Vezina finalist: Boston Bruins' Jeremy Swayman
7 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Vezina finalist: Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy
8 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship) finalist: Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield
9 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Lady Byng finalist: Los Angeles Kings' Anze Kopitar.
10 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Lady Byng finalist: Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson
11 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player) finalist: San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini
12 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Ted Lindsay finalist: Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov
13 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Ted Lindsay finalist: Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid
14 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton Trophy (perseverance) nominee: Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ville Husso
15 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy
16 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin
17 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Calgary Flames goaltender Devin Cooley
18 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Carolina Hurricanes left wing Taylor Hall
19 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight
20 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog
21 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner
22 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn
23 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Detroit Red Wings right wing Dominik Shine
24 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Edmonton Oilers goalie Connor Ingram
25 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand
26 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar
27 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt
28 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson
29 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Nashville Predators right wing Ozzy Wiesblatt
30 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon
31 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: New York Islanders center Kyle Palmieri
32 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: New York Rangers defenseman Matthew Robertson
33 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark
34 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Philadelphia Flyers left wing Garrett Wilson
35 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha
36 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington
37 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: San Jose Sharks goalie Laurent Brossoit
38 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Seattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle
39 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh
40 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson
41 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller
42 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen
43 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Akira Schmid
44 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin
45 / 45
NHL awards finalists: Who's up for 2025-26 regular season awards?
Masterton nominee: Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews
The team said in a social media statement: "The Golden Knights are aware of today's announcement from the NHL regarding the postgame media availability following Game 6 in Anaheim. The organization will have no further comment."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vegas Golden Knights lose draft pick for violating NHL media policy
Q&A
Why did the NHL penalize the Vegas Golden Knights?
The NHL penalized the Golden Knights for violating media policies, specifically for head coach John Tortorella not meeting with the media after a playoff game.
What are the penalties imposed on the Golden Knights?
The Golden Knights lost a 2026 second-round draft pick and head coach John Tortorella was fined $100,000.
Can the Golden Knights appeal the NHL's penalties?
Yes, the Golden Knights can appeal the penalties, and a hearing will be held next week in New York if requested.
What incident triggered the NHL's decision against the Golden Knights?
The decision was triggered by the team's failure to open the dressing room and Tortorella's absence from media obligations after a series-clinching win against the Anaheim Ducks.
