PWHL won’t have an expansion draft as it adds teams. Here’s what it’s planning instead

PWHL won’t have an expansion draft as it adds teams. Here’s what it’s planning instead

The PWHL will not have a traditional expansion draft when it adds new teams this offseason. Instead, the process will include multiple signing windows, according to a document obtained by The Athletic, which will give players more autonomy through the process.

On Sunday, the PWHL Players’ Association sent its members a guide to the expansion roster building process that assumes the league will add four teams for 2026-27. The expansion process includes five different phases; the first is tentatively set to begin May 28.

“We have been told the league intends to move forward with a four-team expansion,” PWHLPA Executive Director Malaika Underwood wrote in an email to members on Sunday.

While the league is steadfast on expansion ahead of the 2026-27 season, it has yet to announce any final decisions on the amount of teams or where they will be located. Should the league add fewer than four teams, the process outlined in Sunday’s document could change.

“Nothing is finalized at this time,” the PWHL said in a statement to The Athletic.

“We’re in the process of working through expansion roster-building plans in close collaboration with the PWHLPA,” the statement read. “Our approach has been thoughtful and player-focused, and we’ll share more details at the appropriate time.”

Last year, the PWHL expanded for the first time, adding the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent. During the first-ever expansion draft process, the league’s original six teams were initially allowed to protect just three players, which meant there was plenty of top-end talent available to Seattle and Vancouver – including U.S. star Hilary Knight and five of six first-round picks from the 2024 draft class. Both teams were stacked on paper, but struggled in their inaugural seasons, finishing in the bottom of the PWHL standings and missing the playoffs.

This year, the league is switching things up in an effort “to protect as much player choice as possible throughout the process,” according to an email from Underwood sent to players on Friday. The new process, Underwood wrote in a subsequent email on Sunday, “is a significant change that gives players more opportunity to participate in the process through negotiation and choice.” In the circumstances where a free agent’s options are narrowed, she said, “the framework includes meaningful financial protections and incentives for that player.”

So how might this all work? Here’s what the player guide tells us.

Phase 1

First up: Player protection.

Similar to last season, the PWHL’s existing franchises will get to protect three players from the expansion process. But there is one major change.

Last year, free agents were exempt from being selected in the draft by Seattle or Vancouver, which meant players on expiring deals such as Susanna Tapani (Boston) or Natalie Spooner (Toronto) didn’t need to be protected to stick with their clubs.

This time around, existing franchises will need to sign their top free agents to protect them from expansion. The Toronto Sceptres, for example, would need to sign star defender Renata Fast during Phase 1 to protect her from expansion. The same goes for “restricted” free agents – like New York’s Casey O’Brien – whose rights are held by the Sirens until the end of next season.

Phase 2

Entirely new this year, expansion teams will submit their own individual “Exclusive Negotiation Target List,” which will include 20 players – either on an expiring contract or left unprotected – that the team has legitimate interest in signing. Players will be notified if they are on a team’s list and can be offered two different types of contract.

The first is an Expansion Franchise Offer – think of this sort of like a franchise tag in the WNBA or NFL.

Expansion teams are permitted to use just one “franchise offer” on a player with an expiring contract. This specific offer is a guaranteed tender, meaning if a player is offered an “EFO,” they are required to sign. This deal comes with several contract incentives laid out in the document.

For example, the player’s salary will be no less than $100,000 or the player’s 2025-26 salary, whichever is greater. The player will also get to determine the length of contract, between one and four years – the first time the PWHL has offered a four year contract. Players who sign for multiple years will receive an additional $20,000 upfront payment. The deal will also be fully guaranteed.

If multiple expansion teams offer an “EFO” to the same player, that player can choose which team to sign with.

Expansion teams may also issue Foundational Player Offers to players on expiring contracts in Phase 2. Players who are offered an “FPO” are not required to sign with the expansion franchise – but should they reject the offer, that player must sign a new contract by the end of Phase 3.

An FPO contract must be at least two years and worth $80,000 in Year 1 and $82,500 in Year 2, according to the guide sent to players.

Expansion teams will be permitted to sign five total players in Phase 2. If any team is unable to reach five players by the end of the window, the team will be allowed to select unprotected players – either under contract or with their rights held by existing teams – from their exclusive list. If a player is selected, their rights will be retained by the expansion team.

Existing teams can lose a maximum of three players under contract in Phase 2.

Phase 3

This phase will largely serve as a reset for existing teams, allowing all eight current franchises to protect – or sign – three more players, for a total of six protected players throughout the process. Players on expiring contracts can sign with any team in Phase 3, not just their current roster.

Last season, once teams lost two players, either through the signing window or draft, general managers were permitted to protect one additional player, increasing their protected list to four.

Expansion teams will also be able to sign up to three more players on expiring deals during this phase. And any player who rejected a Foundational Player Offer in Phase 2 must sign a new contract, with any team, at an average annual value no lower than 90 percent of the FPO base salary.

Phase 4

In this phase, expansion teams will sign the remaining number of players they need to reach a total of 10. At this point, any player not protected or signed in the first three phases can sign with an expansion franchise. However, expansion teams cannot sign players who were previously on their “Exclusive Negotiation Target List,” from Phase 2.

Should an expansion team be unable to reach 10 players, it will be allowed to select unprotected players who are under contract or have their rights held from existing teams. What this player selection process might look like has yet to be announced.

By the end of Phase 4, existing teams will have lost a maximum of four players who were under contract.

Phase 5

The final phase will permit pending free agents to re-sign with their current team – or wait for the league-wide signing period to open, which is earmarked for June 19 in the PA’s document. Teams must also extend qualifying offers to players with their rights held before the start of the signing period.

Expansion teams will also have the opportunity to build their rosters through the entry draft, which is tentatively slated for June 17 in the document. The Vancouver Goldeneyes won the first-overall pick – and the right to draft star defender Caroline Harvey – last month. The rest of the draft order is still to be determined by the PWHL.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Toronto Sceptres, Minnesota Frost, Vancouver Goldeneyes, New York Sirens, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Seattle Torrent, Boston Fleet, NHL, Sports Business, Women's Hockey

2026 The Athletic Media Company