The Vegas Golden Knights are heading to the Western Conference finals, but their celebration comes with a heavy price tag. The NHL announced Friday that the team will forfeit a 2026 second-round draft pick and head coach John Tortorella has been fined $100,000 for what the league called "flagrant violations" of media policies following their series-clinching Game 6 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

The trouble started Thursday night after the Golden Knights defeated the Ducks 5-1 to seal the series 4-2. Instead of opening the dressing room to reporters as required, most players and coaches went silent. According to reports from The Athletic's Jesse Granger, only a handful of players spoke to media in a side room or at the podium, while Tortorella was nowhere to be found—not even on the handshake line, per The Sporting Tribune's Zach Cavanagh.

The NHL didn't take this lightly, noting in their press release that Vegas had received "previous warnings" about media compliance. The $100,000 fine against Tortorella underscores just how seriously the league views these obligations, especially during the high-stakes drama of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Golden Knights responded with a terse statement saying they were "aware" of the punishment but offered "no further comment." They do have the option to appeal the penalties at an in-person meeting with the commissioner's office in New York next week.

This isn't the first time Tortorella has butted heads with media policies—his reputation for fiery, no-nonsense press conferences is well-known across the league. But the timing is particularly awkward for Vegas, who brought him on in March after the stunning firing of Bruce Cassidy with just three weeks left in the regular season. That gamble has paid off so far, with the team returning to the conference finals three years after their 2023 Stanley Cup victory.

Now, the Golden Knights must shift their focus to the Colorado Avalanche as the best-of-seven series gets underway. But with a lost draft pick and a hefty fine hanging over them, this victory lap comes with a serious chill.