Jack Eichel Defends Golden Knights With Bold Statement After Vegas Side Gets Voted as Most Hated NHL Team

Jack Eichel joined the Vegas Golden Knights in November 2021 through a trade from the Buffalo Sabres.

Jack Eichel Defends Golden Knights With Bold Statement After Vegas Side Gets Voted as Most Hated NHL Team

Jack Eichel (Image via Imago)

Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights did not have the ending they wanted as they suffered a Stanley Cup Final loss on Sunday. At the end of the season media conference, the forward defended his team with a bold statement after they were voted as the most hated NHL team.

In May, Rotowire conducted a poll in all 50 states of the United States to find which team was the most-hated in the NHL. As per reports from Fox News, 11 different states had the Golden Knights at the top of this list.

On Tuesday, Eichel took part in the press conference after the end of the season. During this, the 29-year-old expressed that the Golden Knights were one team that was not on the no-trade list of many players across the league.

I’ll say this. If you ask guys in the league, Vegas ain’t on people’s no-trade list. So this is a place people want to be, and people want to play, and this is an organization that people want to be a part of.

Jack Eichel told the reporters

The Golden Knights have been one of the fastest-growing franchises in NHL history. After their foundation in 2017, they reached the Stanley Cup Final in their debut season. However, they ended up losing 4-1 against the Washington Capitals.

In 2023, the team got its hands on the Stanley Cup. In Game 5, they crushed the Florida Panthers 9-3 to clinch the series 4-1.

In their 9 seasons in the NHL, the team from Las Vegas has reached the playoffs 8 times. With 3 Western Conference titles and 1 Stanley Cup, they have certainly been a team to beat.

Amidst this, the team has also been accused of misusing the Long-Term Injured Reserves (LTIR) list. In February 2024, captain Mark Stone was placed on the LTIR following a lacerated spleen.

This led to the team freeing up his $9.5 million cap hit. They then went on to pick stars like Anthony Manta, Tom Hertl, and Noah Hanifin. Stone would then return to the team in April, just before the Stanley Cup playoffs, which led to many attacking the team.

Just before the playoffs this year, the team let go of Bruce Cassidy. However, they then blocked him from interviewing with other clubs, resulting in more negative remarks against them on social media.

The team has also faced backlash following the signing of Carter Hart. After the player was found not guilty of se**al assault, he was signed by the team in October 2025 on a 2-year, $4 million deal. During the final against the Hurricanes, fans in Raleigh, North Carolina, took a wild shot at him with a “no means no” chant.

As for Eichel’s point, the team has brought in some big names. He himself was traded from the Buffalo Sabres in 2021.

Before the start of the 2025-26 season, the team landed a huge prize in Mitch Marner. They got him from the Toronto Maple Leafs following a huge 8-year, $96 million sign-and-trade deal. As a result of all of this, some fans are not too happy with them.

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John Tortorella will not return as Golden Knights head coach next season

As the Vegas Golden Knights continue to pick themselves up from the ground, there was a huge development on Tuesday. As per the team’s general manager, Kelly McCrimmon, John Tortorella will not return as the head coach next season.

Golden Knights' John Tortorella
John Tortorella (Image via Bleacher Report)

As briefly mentioned above, the team let go of Bruce Cassidy just before the playoffs. They then hired Tortorella on a short-term deal. He went 7-0-1 in the regular season and helped the side steer the ship towards a Pacific Division title.

He then guided the team to their 3rd Stanley Cup Final. In the Final, the team lost in Game 6 against the Carolina Hurricanes and finished as the runners-up.

Following the final defeat, the veteran claimed that he was uncertain about his future. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that the Golden Knights will not have him back for the next season.

We thank ‘Torts’ for the guidance he provided our team since joining the organization in March. … Torts’ experience and leadership proved to be the boost that we were looking for, helping guide us to the Stanley Cup Final. We are grateful for Torts’ passion, sincerity, and commitment to our organization, and we wish him and his family the best.

The Golden Knights said in a statement regarding John Tortorella

In his 24 seasons as a head coach, Tortorella has a 777-648-166 record with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Golden Knights. In the playoffs, he is 70-72 while lifting the cup with the Lightning in 2004.

With his departure, the Golden Knights are one of the three teams that are without a head coach in the NHL at the moment. The other two are the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers, who were reported to be in talks with Mike Babcock over the head coach role.

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