PWHL Expansion: No Easy Decisions As Almost Every Team Will Still Lose Multiple Stars

When the next round of PWHL expansion occurs, teams will be looking at a winding road of five phases. In Phase 1, proposed to open on May 28, each of the league's existing eight teams will get the opportunity to protect three players.

Those players can be players currently under contract, or pending free agents the teams sign from across the league. It could also be restricted free agents from the 2025 PWHL Draft, if they are not signed beyond this season.

When Phase 2 opens, existing teams can lose up to three contracted players, but that could be coupled with the signing of several free agents from their rosters as well.

While the emphasis in the plan was marketed as providing player choice, it's highly likely expansion teams will sign at least one or two players in Phase 2, but are more likely to snatch contracted stars while they still can.

Allowing contracted players to reach Phase 3 and receive one of the final three protections teams are granted would be poor management of the proposed system.

Important decisions are ahead for each of the PWHL's eight teams which will set the stage for expansion roster building.

Boston Has An Unfortunate Decision

Few teams have a decision as difficult as Boston. They could again protect Aerin Frankel, Megan Keller, and Alina Muller, and no one would blame them. Last year the Fleet made the difficult, but correct decision to leave Hilary Knight exposed. This time around, given the impact she's had, leaving Haley Winn exposed feels like a terrible mistake. There's no good decision in Boston for a Fleet team that relied so heavily on their top four players. The alternative is leaving Alina Muller unprotected, which is like pulling the team's heart out, but it's a highly likely scenario.

Minnesota's Set To Lose A Superstar, Or More

When "Expansion Franchise Offers" are made during Phase 2 of the process, Minnesota is likely to lose a superstar, or two. Their unrestricted free agents include PWHL leading scorer Kelly Pannek, second leading scorer and former playoff MVP Taylor Heise, team captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, all-world defender Lee Stecklein, and former PWHL Rookie of the Year Grace Zumwinkle. At least one of those players will be gone. Assuming the Frost attempt to sign Heise and Pannek, the team will lose a veteran superstar whether the Frost, or the player themself, likes it or not. Given the proposed plan, Minnesota could conceivably lose a pair like Pannek and Zumwinkle to Expansion Franchise Offers, and still lose three of Kendall Cooper, Britta Curl-Salemme, Maddie Rooney, or Abby Hustler in Phase 2. It could be a catastrophic first step for the Frost.

Does Montreal Roll It Back With Their Big Three?

It's hard to imagine Montreal not protecting Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renee Desbiens, and Laura Stacey. It means the team will certainly lose Nicole Gosling, and likely Kati Tabin, in Phase 2. A player like Abby Roque will be a signing target as well, but not for the Expansion Franchise Offer as it would be financially prohibitive to re-up Roque at her current rate. Still, she'll find a suitor in this Phase if she wants.

New York Sirens Should Go Young

The only option in New York is to protect Sarah Fillier and Kristyna Kaltounkova, and to either re-sign Casey O'Brien in Phase 1, or tender her a qualifying offer and deal with it later. It leaves the bulk of New York's blueline, headlined by Maja Nylen Persson, Micah Zandee-Hart, and Jaime Bourbonnais available. It also leaves young players like Anne Cherkowski and Maddi Wheeler free for the taking. Still, there's nothing to do in New York aside from lock down their young trio of forwards.

Protecting Philips The Only Guarantee In Ottawa

Gwyneth Philips. After that, it's rolling a dice for Ottawa, albeit one that will certainly involve protecting either Rory Guilday or Ronja Savolainen, and then a difficult decision up front. Does Ottawa risk an expansion team tendering Brianne Jenner a Expansion Franchise Offer. She's one of the highest paid players in the league, so it comes with a considerable cost. Or do they protect Emily Clark or Rebecca Leslie. Ottawa could stand to lose three of the aforementioned players, as well as first year players like Sarah Wozniewicz and Fanuza Kadirova. Ottawa will protect Gwyneth Philips, you can bet your house on it. Savolainen may have a slight edge over Guilday, but the team could also protect both and bank on the hope that expansion teams home in on players from other markets first.

Seattle May Need To Shed Their Veteran Superstars

Veteran forward Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter both said they'd like to stay in Seattle. It's not the easiest sell to protect both, because it means Seattle would lose either Cayla Barnes or Hannah Bilka, and likely Julia Gosling as well. In reality, Seattle is almost certainly better off to force an expansion team to burn their Expansion Franchise Offer on Knight, Carpenter, or Gosling, and protect Bilka and Barnes. It's a difficult decision, but if Seattle wants to become the winner most predicted they would, they can't let Barnes walk, and they've be foolish to let Bilka go. Protecting their younger, signed stars should be the priority.

Toronto Has Urgent Signing To Do

Toronto's free agents said they wanted to know the expansion rules before re-signing. The team might be able to ink a few of those veterans, but it will be difficult to sign them all. Toronto's top priorities should be Daryl Watts and Renata Fast. There's no guarantee Watts won't decide to test the open market and recoup some of the money she sacrificed to come to Toronto and lock in her Canadian national team role. Assuming Gina Kingsbury can sign the duo, the decision then moves to a difficult choice between signing Raygan Kirk or Blayre Turnbull, or protecting Ella Shelton. In reality, finding a way to sign Kirk should be the priority. It will be hard for Toronto to match the money Kirk could be offered by an expansion team, money that will come with the promise of remaining a starter. Kirk might also feel pressure to please Kingsbury to keep her Team Canada dreams alive. But signing Kirk, who emerged as a bonafide top tier starter is key. It's not likely an expansion team would use their Expansion Franchise Offer on Turnbull, but it could happen. And the Shelton experiment didn't work out. Toronto will be able to re-sign a number of their free agents, but they need Watts, Fast, and Kirk.

Goldeneyes Will Get A Taste Of Their Own Medicine

Watching the Vancouver Goldeneyes sign star after star last season was masteful use of the expansion rules. By seasons end, the Goldeneyes were rounding into form, and unless the expansion teams can break up their roster, they'll become a powerhouse next season and Walter Cup favorite. It makes sense for Vancouver to attempt to sign Sarah Nurse, who otherwise would be a no-brainer for an Expansion Franchise Offer, especially considering she currently makes under $100,000. Who next is the question?Vancouver will get the chance to select Caroline Harvey, but they're still likely to protect Sophie Jaques. That leaves only one spot left, a protection they'll likely use on Hannah Miller, captain Ashton Bell, or Emerance Maschmeyer. As long as nobody offers her $100,000, Vancouver should be able to keep hometown star Jennifer Gardiner. With her future uncertain, leaving Claire Thompson available is a risk they'll need to take.