Coyotes to forfeit two draft picks for violation of NHL's combine testing policy

The Arizona Coyotes have been hit hard for violating some of the NHL's rules regarding the draft.

The NHL announced Wednesday that the Coyotes will forfeit their 2020 second-round draft pick and 2021 first-round draft pick for violating the league's combine testing policy during the 2019-20 campaign. 

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's decision on the matter comes after a hearing on Aug. 6 in which the Coyotes admitted to violating the policy by conducting physical testing on 2020 draft-eligible players prior to the Combine.

The main reasoning for the forfeiting of the draft picks is to maintain a "competitive fairness among clubs with respect to evaluating and drafting prospects and to avoid subjecting prospects to repeated and duplicative testing procedures."

Arizona's forfeiture of the draft picks will prove to be costly for the organization after their playoff exit to the Colorado Avalanche.

The Coyotes haven't necessarily hit on a first-round selection since 2016 when they drafted both Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun. Since then, the club has selected Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Filip Westerlund, Barrett Hayton, Kevin Bahl and Victor Soderstrom. Hayton was on the 2019-20 roster, while Soderstrom was added to the expanded roster for the playoffs, though he hasn't played an NHL game.