Who has the most penalty minutes in Golden Knights history?

The Vegas Golden Knights have earned a distinction for being one of the most disciplined teams in the NHL. They've gotten 3,915 penalty minutes since 2017-18, the third-fewest in the NHL (the Kraken have the fewest with 2,051 and they've been around since 2021-22). Yes, the list might be slightly skewed towards the Kraken, who arrived on the scene a few seasons ago. However, such discipline has been part of why the Golden Knights have been successful.

That's proven by last season, where the team leader in penalty minutes was Keegan Kolesar (49). That's a drastically low number compared to the league leader, Liam O'Brien (153). Overall, it's a testament to the brand of hockey they've played since their inception. In turn, it's led to two Stanley Cup Final appearances, with the team hoisting Lord Stanley in 2023.

But there's a bigger question at hand regarding penalty minutes. If the Golden Knights are so disciplined, who has the most career penalty minutes in franchise history? Who's been the biggest troublemaker for Vegas? Believe it or not, it hasn't been Ryan Reaves. Here's who has compiled the most penalty minutes in franchise history.

Brayden McNabb has the most penalty minutes in Vegas Golden Knights history

The record holder for the most penalty minutes in Vegas Golden Knights history is Brayden McNabb. The defenseman had 290 total penalty minutes during his Golden Knights career, putting him 34 ahead of the second-place holder, Jonathan Marchessault. It might come as a surprise to some fans. However, McNabb does play a physical style that uses his body. In turn, it can become a messy venture for anybody facing McNabb.

As for Ryan Reaves, he's not even in the top five in the category. The former Golden Knights enforcer has 158 penalty minutes, good for sixth in franchise history. He finished behind Marchessault (256), Keegan Kolesar (215), Nicolas Hague (195), and William Carrier (183). Surprisingly, Reaves did a great job of avoiding time in the penalty box during his Vegas hockey career.

As for the season leader, that honor does belong to Reaves, who had 74 penalty minutes in 2018-19. Kolesar was tied for second with 68 in 2021-22, tying himself with... Keegan Kolesar in 2022-23. That season, the winger also had 68 penalty minutes, a remarkable feat to duplicate.

As for McNabb, his career-high with the Golden Knights was 52 in 2017-18. Still, those numbers are drastically low compared to other players around the league. That includes Liam O'Brien, who would have three times the penalty minutes that the second-highest Golden Knights star would.