NHL Rumours: Massive Vegas Punishment, Flames Fire Sale & No Hughes Reunion?

In today’s NHL rumour rundown, we start off with the Vegas Golden Knights, who have received a massive penalty from the league due to post-game inactions from head coach John Tortorella. Next, we look at the Calgary Flames and how nearly all of their players are available for trade.

Finally, Quinn Hughes spoke to the media and seems to be fully on board for re-signing with the Minnesota Wild this offseason, ending the speculation of him going to the New Jersey Devils, joining his two brothers.

NHL Slams Golden Knights with Harsh Punishment

Following the Golden Knights’ 5-1 victory in Game 6 over the Anaheim Ducks, Tortorella was not made available to the media. Mitch Marner and Brett Howden were the only two players to speak and sat at the podium together.

Tortorella skipping out on the post-game media conference led to the NHL taking away their 2026 second-round draft pick, as well as a $100,000 fine to Tortorella.

As he entered the room, Marner stated that the team bus was leaving in 10 minutes and joked that Tortorella would leave them if they weren’t there.

Game 6 was held in Anaheim, and the primary airport, John Wayne Airport, follows a noise ordinance and doesn’t have flights after 10 p.m. local time. While it hasn’t been confirmed, a plausible reason for the post-game rush would have been a reserved time at the Long Beach airport, which allows flights after the curfew based on application.

In the NHL/NHLPA collective agreement, it is required that a team make their head coach available after every game. This is in respect to the media and the relations that the team has with the fanbase, as a means of communication for everybody.

The NHL stated that if the Golden Knights were to appeal this decision, there would be an in-person meeting in New York. The NHL stated that they have issued prior warnings to the Golden Knights for similar reasons, which could include kicking a reporter out of the post-game conference after asking a question regarding the signing of Carter Hart.

Flames’ Fire Sale This Offseason?

With so many teams in the playoff race throughout the 2025-26 season, there weren’t a ton of sellers. The Flames, however, made some massive moves and may have more coming this offseason.

Throughout the year, the Flames moved on from Nazem Kadri, Rasmus Andersson, and MacKenzie Weegar. Heading into the 2026 offseason, they still have some players, including Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Blake Coleman, and quite a few others who could be moved.

Daily Faceoff’s Anthony Di Marco writes, “According to sources, the Flames are ‘open to (move) any guys other than (goaltender) Dustin Wolf, (forwards) Matvei Gridin and Matt Coronato, and defenseman Zayne Parekh.’.

The Flames have clearly begun their rebuild before now, but this offseason could be a pivotal one for their future.

None of the players are a guarantee to move, and they certainly won’t all be gone, but the Flames are in a great position to tear everything down right now. While their roster isn’t good enough to compete for the Stanley Cup right now, they are full of valuable assets that contending teams will be looking to add.

With the forfeited Golden Knights pick in the second round, that will give the Flames the chance to select seven players in the top 64 picks of the draft. Factor that in with the plethora of value on the roster, and the Flames could end up with a ton more picks over the next three drafts.

Quinn Hughes Happy in Minnesota, Unlikely to Join Brothers in NJ

When the Vancouver Canucks were reportedly shopping Hughes, the obvious destination was the Devils. At the time, their general manager, Tom Fitzgerald, was unwilling to match the offer that the Wild had offered. Hughes has talked about how good it felt to have the Wild general manager, Bill Guerin, be willing to offer so much to bring him in.

Now, is it still probably pretty high on the bucket list for all three brothers to play together? For sure, but given the state of both organizations, sticking with the Wild seems more likely right now.

The Wild had a great regular season. The team, from top to bottom, clearly has a massive amount of respect for Hughes, and they have high aspirations. They have a great prospect pool, a general manager who was voted as one of the best in the league this year, and Hughes himself stated he is interested in staying.

“I can say that I really like it here…I love the team. I love the city and the fans. Just being in that locker room, it’s a special group. Would definitely be open to re-signing here with the guys that we have in the room and just the people we have in the room. A lot of trust with Billy [Guerin], as well, and love [John Hynes] and [Jack Capuano] and the coaching staff.”

Hughes will be eligible for an extension on July 1, and should get a handsome payday, and that is most likely to be with the Wild.

Is it time for the possibility of a Hughes reunion to shift away from the Devils? The Wild need an elite centre. Could they find a way to bring the other two Hughes brothers to Minnesota?