On paper, the Toronto Sceptres won the PWHL's biggest trade to date by a landslide. Swapping Savannah Harmon and Hayley Scamurra for Jocelyne Laroque and Victoria Bach, the only way Ottawa comes out the winner in this trade, is through chemistry.
On paper, the Toronto Sceptres won the PWHL's biggest trade to date by a landslide. Swapping Savannah Harmon and Hayley Scamurra for Jocelyne Laroque and Victoria Bach, the only way Ottawa comes out the winner in this trade, is through chemistry.
It's always nice to be proven incorrect, but it's hard not to imagine Gina Kingsbury somewhere pulling a rabbit out of a hat, scratching a winning lotto ticket, and kicking her feet up with a cheek-to-cheek grin.
At first glance, Toronto looks like the outright winner of 2024-25s first PWHL trade by a landslide. The deal sent Savannah Harmon and Hayley Scamurra to the Toronto Sceptres, with the Ottawa Charge receiving Jocelyne Larocque and Victoria Bach. There's always more to a trade than what we see on the surface, and this trade screams that there was more involved than a simple shake up for each team. Judging by the rough start multiple players involved have been off to, player frustration probably factored in.
The fact it happened 24 hours before the two teams face off on New Year's Eve is a storyline in itself.
Defender For Defender, Toronto Wins
Jocelyne Larocque has been one of Canada's most trustworthy and consistent defenders for well over a decade. She's done it all, and will go down as one of the best blueliners to suit up for Team Canada. Today, however, at the pace and calibre of the PWHL, cracks are starting to form in the stalwart's game. Larocque has lost a step, and has been prone to turnovers over the last year. She is capable of playing big minutes and remains one of the most fit players in the league, but the load of those minutes has been carried by Renata Fast. Without Fast, Larocque's decline would be magnified ten fold. Heading the other way, Toronto gets another mobile, intelligent blueliner who was a fan favorite in Ottawa. Savannah Harmon has not put up her typical points this season, but it's not indicative of her play. Ottawa just traded their number one defender, and got less dynamic on their back end. Harmon is a smooth puck mover who can impact the game at both ends, and will help Toronto clean up their transition play.
Stylistically, it would not be surprising to see Ottawa pair Larocque with Ronja Savolainen, who is a big, mobile, and snarly defender who in many ways mimics the attributes that made Larocque's pairing with Fast work. The way this trade turns from a loss to a win for Ottawa isn't in the players themselves, because one-for-one Toronto takes this, it's in chemistry.
Scamurra Will Bring A Lot To Toronto
Hayley Scamurra's offensive production hasn't been what Ottawa wanted, but her all around game and ability cannot be questioned. Her style as a fluid two-way player will be appreciated by Troy Ryan and she has the potential to play higher up Toronto's lineup than Bach did. It's a move sending a second line left winger to Toronto in exchange for a fourth line center. Certainly Bach will slide into Ottawa's third line center role or be shifted to a scoring line wing, but Ottawa seemingly had the answers internally with Danielle Serdachny who could and should be playing down the middle. Scamurra has outperformed Bach internationally, in the PWHPA, and PWHL. It's hard to imagine that changes, although Bach could flourish in Ottawa given the opportunities, as she was not playing many minutes in Toronto. Bach certainly looks dangerous at times, but for a team who wanted to get bigger this offseason, sending a bigger, stronger, two-way forward out of your top six, for a smaller forward out of a bottom six makes little sense.
The Wild Card Is Chemistry
As previously mentioned in the case of Larocque playing with someone like Ronja Savolainen, the x-factor, or the wild card in this all is chemistry. Toronto has had little to no chemistry this season anywhere in their lineup. They have an abundance of talent, but the glue isn't holding. A trade like this, Kingsbury and Ryan parting with a player that has meant so much to them internationally, shows they recognized something wasn't right. It also speaks volumes to the duo's commitment to the Toronto Sceptres, while simultaneously bringing into question Larocque's tenure with Team Canada. Still, the potential for Larocque to gel with Savolainen, or perhaps Ashton Bell, is where the tables could turn in Ottawa's favor. Toronto also knows they have Megan Carter returning at some point, who will bring many of the attributes Larocque possesses, and they've also seen the emergence of Rylind MacKinnon as another physical player. Adding Harmon in Toronto gives them more mobility and a superior defender in the puck possession category. Ottawa has shuffled their forward lines several times this season already and couldn't get Scamurra on the scoresheet. It seems premature to pull this trigger, but general manager Mike Hirshfeld has never shied from bold moves, and the trades he made last season are benefitting the team this year. The move likely means Anna Meixner gets promoted, and will support Ottawa down the middle; or perhaps they shift Bach to the wing. If Bach moved to the wing, it would be very interesting to see her slot into Daryl Watts' former spot alongside Katerina Mrazova and Brianne Jenner.
Chemistry is the wildcard, and it's a wager the Ottawa Charge have hedged their fate on. This is undoubtedly the biggest trade in PWHL history with three current Canadian and USA national team members changing places. It's also the type of trade that will be critiqued and reviewed for years to come.