The Vegas Golden Knights have been stripped of their second-round pick in this year's draft, with coach John Tortorella also receiving a $100,000 fine, for "flagrant violations" of the NHL's Stanley Cup playoff media regulations, the league announced Friday.
The league-imposed sanctions come one day after the Golden Knights didn't open their dressing room to the media while Tortorella also declined to speak with reporters after the team's series-clinching 5-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. Some players did speak to the media at the postgame podium.
In a release, the NHL said 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 NHL also said that the Golden Knights have been offered an opportunity to appeal the sanctions to the commissioner's office at an in-person meeting that would be held next week in New York.
The Golden Knights issued a statement on social media saying they were aware of the league's announcement "regarding the postgame media availability" after Game 6 against the Ducks and would have no further comment.
Vegas was already without its first-round pick for this year's draft, as it was used in a March 2024 trade that saw the Golden Knights acquire Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin, who played for Team USA at the Olympics.
Losing their second-round pick means the Golden Knights won't have a chance to select a player until the third round of the draft. They have four picks, in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.
The league's decision to take away the second-round pick also means the Golden Knights will not have a second-round pick for four consecutive draft cycles. The club dealt away its 2027, 2028 and 2029 second-round picks in previous trades.
The Golden Knights have drafted in the second round only twice since 2022 -- and now won't do so again until 2030 unless they make a trade to get back into the second round for future drafts.
Being stripped of a draft pick along with Tortorella's fine is the latest development in what's been an active spring for the Golden Knights in their bid to win a second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
It began in late March when the team fired Bruce Cassidy, the coach who guided Vegas to that title, and replaced him with Tortorella.
Tortorella, who led the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup in 2004, took control of a team that was seeking to find consistency with its goaltending.
His time with the Golden Knights saw them come back from a 2-1 series hole to beat the upstart Utah Mammoth in the quarterfinal round before beating the Ducks in six games in the semifinals.
They'll open the Western Conference finals next Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver.
