2025–26 NHL suspensions and fines
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Players' money forfeited due to suspension or fine goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund, while money forfeited by coaches, staff or organizations as a whole goes to the NHL Foundation.[1]
- The following is a list of all suspensions and fines enforced in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2025–26 NHL season. It lists which players or coaches of what team have been punished for which offense and the amount of punishment they have received.
Suspensions
Based on each player's average annual salary, divided by number of days in the season (192) for non-repeat offenders and games (82) for repeat offenders, salary will be forfeited for the term of their suspension.
† - suspension covered at least one 2025 NHL preseason game
‡ - suspension covered at least one 2026 postseason game
| Date of incident | Offender | Team(s) | Offense(s) | Date of action | Length | Salary forfeited1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 19, 2018 | Dillon Dube | No team | Unacceptable off-ice conduct.4,6,[2] | September 11, 2025 | N/A5 | N/A |
| June 19, 2018 | Cal Foote | No team | Unacceptable off-ice conduct.4,7,[2] | September 11, 2025 | N/A5 | N/A |
| June 19, 2018 | Alex Formenton | Ottawa Senators | Unacceptable off-ice conduct.4,8,[2] | September 11, 2025 | 31 games† (6 preseason + 25 regular season) |
N/A |
| June 19, 2018 | Carter Hart | No team / Vegas Golden Knights9 |
Unacceptable off-ice conduct.4,9,[2] | September 11, 2025 | 18 games | $395,833.332 |
| June 19, 2018 | Michael McLeod | No team | Unacceptable off-ice conduct.4,10,[2] | September 11, 2025 | N/A5 | N/A |
| October 4, 2025 | Scott Sabourin | Tampa Bay Lightning | Roughing Aaron Ekblad.[3] | October 6, 2025 | 4 games | $16,145.83 |
| October 4, 2025 | JJ Moser | Tampa Bay Lightning | Boarding Jesper Boqvist.[4] | October 6, 2025 | 2 games | $35,156.25 |
| October 9, 2025 | Jonathan Drouin | New York Islanders | Cross-checking Connor Dewar.[5] | October 10, 2025 | 1 game | $20,833.33 |
| July 2025 | Mitch Love (assistant coach) |
Washington Capitals | Following the findings of an NHL-led investigation into past allegations, initiated in July 2025.11,[6] | October 26, 2025 | Remainder of the season‡ (73 regular season) |
N/A |
| November 22, 2025 | Mikko Rantanen | Dallas Stars | Boarding Matt Coronato; automatic suspension for receiving two game misconduct penalties in the physical infractions category before playing 41 consecutive games.12,[7] | November 23, 2025 | 1 game | $62,500.00 |
| December 8, 2025 | Bobby McMann | Toronto Maple Leafs | High-sticking Oliver Bjorkstrand.[8] | December 9, 2025 | 1 game | $7,031.25 |
| January 3, 2026 | John Beecher | Calgary Flames | Roughing Michael McCarron.[9] | January 4, 2026 | 1 game | $4,687.50 |
| January 3, 2026 | Logan Stanley | Winnipeg Jets | Roughing Brady Tkachuk.[10] | January 4, 2026 | 1 game | $6,510.42 |
| January 25, 2026 | Bryan Rust | Pittsburgh Penguins | Illegal check to the head of Brock Boeser.[11] | January 27, 2026 | 3 games | $80,078.13 |
| February 4, 2026 | Caleb Jones | Pittsburgh Penguins | Violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.13[12] | February 4, 2026 | 20 games | $262,500.002 |
| March 5, 2026 | Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins | Slashing Rasmus Dahlin.[13] | March 6, 2026 | 5 games | $158,854.17 |
| March 12, 2026 | Radko Gudas | Anaheim Ducks | Kneeing Auston Matthews.[14] | March 13, 2026 | 5 games | $104,166.67 |
| March 20, 2026 | AJ Greer | Florida Panthers | Boarding Connor Zary.[15] | March 22, 2026 | 3 games | $13,281.25 |
| April 25, 2026 | Ridly Greig | Ottawa Senators | Roughing Sean Walker.[16] | May 4, 2026 | 2 games14 | $33,854.17 |
| May 1, 2026 | Charlie McAvoy | Boston Bruins | Slashing Zach Benson.[17] | May 12, 2026 | 6 games15 | $296,875.00 |
| May 12, 2026 | Brayden McNabb | Vegas Golden Knights | Interference against Ryan Poehling.[18] | May 13, 2026 | 1 game‡ (1 postseason) |
N/A3 |
| Player totals: | 168 games† (6 preseason + 161 regular + 1 postseason) |
$1,167,578.13 | ||||
Notes
- 1.^ All figures are in US dollars.
- 2.^ Fines generated for games lost due to suspension for off-ice conduct are calculated uniquely and irrespective of repeat offender status.
- 3.^ As players are not paid salary in the preseason or postseason, no fines are generated for games lost due to suspension during those periods.
- 4.^ On September 11, 2025, the NHL determined that Dube, Foote, Formenton, Hart, and McLeod, while not under contract at the time of the suspension, would be eligible to sign an NHL contract no sooner than October 15, 2025, and eligible to play in NHL games no sooner than December 1, 2025.[2]
- 5.^ Dube, Foote, and McLeod did not sign with an NHL team by December 1, and therefore missed no games during their suspension.
- 6.^ Dube took an indefinite leave of absence from the Calgary Flames on January 21, 2024.[19] He missed 36 games and was released as an unrestricted free agent by the team at the end of the season; Dube sat out the entirety of the 2024–25 NHL season, for a total of 118 regular season games before the NHL's formal suspension.
- 7.^ Foote took an indefinite leave of absence from the New Jersey Devils on January 24, 2024.[20] He missed 37 games and was released as an unrestricted free agent by the team at the end of the season; Foote sat out the entirety of the 2024–25 NHL season, for a total of 119 regular season games before the NHL's formal suspension.
- 8.^ Unable to comes to terms on a new contract with the Ottawa Senators for the 2022–23 NHL season, Formenton signed as a restricted free agent with HC Ambri-Piotta of the National League.[21] He has not played in the NHL since April 2022, though remains on the Senators' reserve list.
- 9.^ Hart took an indefinite leave of absence from the Philadelphia Flyers on January 24, 2024.[22] He missed 34 games and was released as an unrestricted free agent by the team at the end of the season; Hart sat out the entirety of the 2024–25 NHL season, for a total of 116 games before the NHL's formal suspension. Hart signed with the Vegas Golden Knights on October 24, 2025, a month and a half after the suspension was issued. The Golden Knights had 18 games remaining before Hart could play again, at the time of the signing.[23]
- 10.^ McLeod took an indefinite leave of absence from the New Jersey Devils on January 24, 2024.[20] He missed 37 games and was released as an unrestricted free agent by the team at the end of the season; McLeod sat out the entirety of the 2024–25 NHL season, for a total of 119 regular season games before the NHL's formal suspension.
- 11.^ Love had previously been put on team-imposed leave by the Washington Capitals on September 14, 2025, pending an investigation into allegations of past personal conduct.[24] The Capitals relieved Love of his duties as assistant coach the same day the NHL concluded their investigations, after learning of the results.[25]
- 12.^ Rantanen's first game misconduct penalty came as a result of boarding Alexander Romanov on November 18, 2025.[7]
- 13.^ Suspension accompanied by mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.
- 14.^ As the Ottawa Senators were eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, Greig's suspended games were deferred to the 2026–27 NHL season.
- 15.^ As the Boston Bruins were eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, McAvoy's suspended games were deferred to the 2026–27 NHL season.
Fines
Players can be fined up to 50% of one day's salary, up to a maximum of $10,000.00 for their first offense, and $15,000.00 for any subsequent offenses (player had been fined in the 12 months prior to this fine).[1] Coaches, non-playing personnel, and teams are not restricted to such maximums, though can still be treated as repeat offenders.
Fines for players/coaches fined for diving/embellishment are structured uniquely and are only handed out after non-publicized warnings are given to the player/coach for their first offense.[26] For more details on diving/embellishment fines:
| Incident Number1 | Player Fine2 | Coach Fine2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warning (N/A) | Warning (N/A) |
| 2 | $2,000 | N/A |
| 3 | $3,000 | N/A |
| 4 | $4,000 | N/A |
| 5 | $5,000 | $2,000 |
| 6 | $5,000 | $3,000 |
| 7 | $5,000 | $4,000 |
| 8+ | $5,000 | $5,000 |
- For coach incident totals, each citation issued to a player on his club counts toward his total.
- All figures are in US dollars.
Fines listed in italics indicate that was the maximum allowed fine.
R - Player was considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (player had been fined in the 12 months prior to this fine)
| Date of incident | Offender | Team | Offense | Date of action | Amount1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 30, 2025 | Nick CousinsR | Ottawa Senators | Slashing Ivan Demidov.[27] | October 1, 2025 | $2,148.44 |
| September 30, 2025 | Hayden Hodgson | Ottawa Senators | Boarding Alex Newhook.[28] | October 1, 2025 | $2,018.23 |
| October 2, 2025 | AJ Greer | Florida Panthers | Roughing Brandon Hagel.[29] | October 3, 2025 | $2,213.54 |
| October 4, 2025 | Roman Schmidt | Tampa Bay Lightning | Cross-checking Carter Verhaeghe.[30] | October 5, 2025 | $2,098.52 |
| October 4, 2025 | Gage Goncalves | Tampa Bay Lightning | Cross-checking Evan Rodrigues.[30] | October 5, 2025 | $3,125.00 |
| October 4, 2025 | Team | Tampa Bay Lightning | Actions culminating in the events of a preseason game against the Florida Panthers.2[31] | October 6, 2025 | $100,000.00 |
| October 4, 2025 | Jon Cooper (head coach) |
Tampa Bay Lightning | Actions culminating in the events of a preseason game against the Florida Panthers.2[31] | October 6, 2025 | $25,000.00 |
| October 11, 2025 | Ian Cole | Utah Mammoth | Dangerous trip against Steven Stamkos.[32] | October 12, 2025 | $2,500.00 |
| October 11, 2025 | Tyler Myers | Vancouver Canucks | Slashing Connor McDavid.[33] | October 12, 2025 | $2,500.00 |
| October 16, 2025 | Jackson Blake | Carolina Hurricanes | Slashing Jacob Trouba.[34] | October 17, 2025 | $2,358.94 |
| October 18, 2025 | Brad Marchand | Florida Panthers | Unsportsmanlike conduct against Rasmus Dahlin.[35] | October 18, 2025 | $5,000.00 |
| November 1, 2025 | Evgeni MalkinR | Pittsburgh Penguins | Slashing Logan Stanley.[36] | November 2, 2025 | $5,000.00 |
| November 12, 2025 | Brenden Dillon | New Jersey Devils | Boarding Tyler Bertuzzi.[37] | November 13, 2025 | $5,000.00 |
| November 11, 2025 | Mikko Rantanen | Dallas Stars | Diving/embellishment (second citation).3[38] | November 21, 2025 | $2,000.00 |
| November 24, 2025 | Ben Chiarot | Detroit Red Wings | Butt-ending Simon Nemec.[39] | November 25, 2025 | $5,000.00 |
| December 19, 2025 | Frank Vatrano | Anaheim Ducks | Unsportsmanlike conduct against Jason Robertson.[40] | December 20, 2025 | $5,000.00 |
| December 20, 2025 | Matt Grzelcyk | Chicago Blackhawks | Cross-checking Tim Stutzle.[41] | December 21, 2025 | $2,604.17 |
| December 22, 2025 | Ross Johnston | Anaheim Ducks | Roughing Tye Kartye.[42] | December 23, 2025 | $2,864.58 |
| December 27, 2025 | Anton Lundell | Florida Panthers | High-sticking Jake Guentzel.[43] | December 28, 2025 | $5,000.00 |
| December 27, 2025 | Scott Sabourin | Tampa Bay Lightning | Slashing Niko Mikkola.[44] | December 28, 2025 | $2,018.23 |
| December 28, 2025 | Mathew Barzal | New York Islanders | Slashing Mason Marchment.[45] | December 29, 2025 | $5,000.00 |
| January 8, 2026 | Anton LundellR | Florida Panthers | High-sticking Alexandre Texier.[46] | January 9, 2026 | $5,000.00 |
| January 17, 2026 | Steven Stamkos | Nashville Predators | Unsportsmanlike conduct against Jeremy Lauzon.[47] | January 18, 2026 | $2,500.00 |
| January 25, 2026 | William Nylander | Toronto Maple Leafs | Making an inappropriate gesture while in the press box during a Maple Leafs game.[48] | January 26, 2026 | $5,000.00 |
| January 27, 2026 | Brandon Duhaime | Washington Capitals | Unsportsmanlike conduct against Jacob Melanson.[49] | January 28, 2026 | $2,500.00 |
| February 5, 2026 | Michael McCarron | Nashville Predators | Slashing Trevor van Riemsdyk.[50] | February 6, 2026 | $2,343.75 |
| February 5, 2026 | Curtis Douglas | Tampa Bay Lightning | Serving as the aggressor in an altercation with Niko Mikkola.[51] | February 6, 2026 | $2,018.23 |
| March 7, 2026 | Bo Horvat | New York Islanders | Unsportsmanlike conduct against William Eklund.[52] | March 8, 2026 | $2,500.00 |
| March 7, 2026 | Tyler Kleven | Ottawa Senators | Cross-checking Jared McCann.[53] | March 8, 2026 | $4,166.67 |
| March 8, 2026 | Brandon Hagel | Tampa Bay Lightning | Serving as the aggressor in an altercation with Rasmus Dahlin.[54] | March 9, 2026 | $5,000.00 |
| March 17, 2026 | Seth Jarvis | Carolina Hurricanes | High-sticking Conor Garland.[55] | March 18, 2026 | $5,000.00 |
| March 15, 2026 | Beckett Sennecke | Anaheim Ducks | Diving/embellishment (second citation).4[56] | March 24, 2026 | $2,000.00 |
| April 2, 2026 | Brady Tkachuk | Ottawa Senators | Unsportsmanlike conduct against Beck Malenstyn.[57] | April 3, 2026 | $2,500.00 |
| April 5, 2026 | Eetu Luostarinen | Florida Panthers | High-sticking Rickard Rakell.[58] | April 6, 2026 | $5,000.00 |
| March 24, 2026 | Matvei Michkov | Philadelphia Flyers | Diving/embellishment (second citation).5[59] | April 7, 2026 | $2,000.00 |
| April 7, 2026 | Ryan Strome | Calgary Flames | Cross-checking Jason Robertson.[60] | April 8, 2026 | $5,000.00 |
| April 19, 2026 | Sean Durzi | Utah Mammoth | Head-butting Rasmus Andersson.[61] | April 20, 2026 | $5,000.00 |
| April 26, 2026 | Nikita Zadorov | Boston Bruins | Cross-checking Rasmus Dahlin.[62] | April 27, 2026 | $5,000.00 |
| April 28, 2026 | Jamie BennR | Dallas Stars | Cross-checking Ryan Hartman.[63] | April 29, 2026 | $2,604.17 |
| April 30, 2026 | Mikko Rantanen | Dallas Stars | Cross-checking Kirill Kaprizov.[64] | May 1, 2026 | $5,000.00 |
| May 10, 2026 | Beck Malenstyn | Buffalo Sabres | Goaltender interference against Jakub Dobes.[65] | May 11, 2026 | $3,515.63 |
| May 10, 2026 | Arber Xhekaj | Montreal Canadiens | Roughing Sam Carrick.[66] | May 11, 2026 | $3,385.42 |
| May 14, 2026 | Team | Vegas Golden Knights | Violating league media policies.[67] | May 15, 2026 | 2nd-round pick6 |
| May 14, 2026 | John Tortorella (head coach) |
Vegas Golden Knights | Violating league media policies.[67] | May 15, 2026 | $100,000.00 |
| Totals: | $365,483.52 |
Notes
- 1.^ All figures are in US dollars.
- 2.^ The game, which featured 65 penalties for 312 penalty minutes and 13 game misconduct penalties,[68] saw two Lightning players suspended and a further two Lightning players fined in the aftermath.
- 3.^ Rantanen was issued his first citation following an incident on October 16, 2025.[38]
- 4.^ Sennecke was issued his first citation following an incident on March 8, 2026.[56]
- 5.^ Michkov was issued his first citation following an incident on December 3, 2025.[59]
- 6.^ Instead of a cash fine, Vegas will forfeit its second-round draft pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.[67]
Further reading
- "National Hockey League Official Rules 2025–2026" (PDF). NHL. 2025.
- "NHL Department of Player Safety Education Videos". NHL. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014.
- Glasner, Daniel (March 24, 2014). "Goal: Transparent NHL Player Discipline. Assist: Labour Law". Canadian Lawyer. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2019.