Coming out of the World Championships, few would have foreseen the Boston Fleet being the second team to miss the PWHL playoffs alongside the New York Sirens.
Boston looked like a safe bet, but as it happened, lost their hold on a playoff spot in their final game of the season. While it's easy to point to the final game as the deciding factor, the Fleet played an entire season that led them to that point. Here's a look inside the Fleet's season.
Injuries Impacted Boston Significantly
Boston didn't start the season healthy with Daniela Pejsova banged up, inevitably impacting her first year of development in the league. But things got worse from there, and it wasn't even the PWHL's fault. The bulk of Boston's significant injuries this season happened during international play. At the Rivalry Series, Hannah Bilka was injured costing the coveted rookie half her season. At the World Championships, Alina Muller and Aerin Frankel were both hurt in their final games and missed the return to play following Worlds. Boston just couldn't get their best roster on the ice for long spans this year.
Hilary Knight Returns To Full Form
Year one of the PWHL was statistically not one of Hilary Knight's best. Year two was a totally different story. Knight stepped on the ice this season and consistently showed the power forward attributes, goal scoring touch, and ability to drive play that she's known for. In the end, Knight tied for the league lead in points with 29. It was a stellar campaign where she was night in and night out Boston's best player.
There Will Be Roster Changes Coming
The Boston Fleet will lose multiple players to the PWHL's expansion dispersal process. While this will significantly re-shape Boston, the Fleet were likely facing minor player personnel changes anyway. One spot the team didn't figure out was who would be Aerin Frankel's backup to provide her relief. The answer was assumed to be Emma Soderberg, but she struggled. When Frankel went down at Worlds, Boston didn't go to Soderberg, instead opting for Klara Peslarova who earned a shutout in her first ever start. Boston and Soderberg are rumoured to be parting ways, with Soderberg reportedly considering returning to Sweden. Boston also has a sizeable group of players who could test free agency this offseason knowing they could potentially get paid more with one of the expansion teams. Among those players are Susanna Tapani, Sidney Morin, Emma Greco, Loren Gabel, Lexie Adzija, Jill Saulnier, and Theresa Schafzahl.
Was roster deployment an issue?
When you look at Boston's final games of the season, they leaned heavily on their line of Hilary Knight, Susanna Tapani, and Hannah Bilka. Some of their more effective players throughout the season saw limited time. But it also spoke to their lack of scoring depth this season. Had Alina Müller been healthy, this issue would have been alleviated, but Boston's lineup rarely came together in full force. Boston's use of Daniela Pejsova this season was confusing to many. It harkened the way Boston approached Sophie Jaques last year, quickly cutting her loose instead of working to develop and provide her with confidence. Jaques has flourished since leaving Boston, and it's not a stretch to believe Pejsova could do the same with similar support. Beyond this, the use of Kelly Babstock was another point that didn't line up. She was only a depth piece, but it was hard to argue with the success the team had with Jillian Dempsey in the lineup versus Babstock.
Boston Hasn't Figured Out Their Blueline
Megan Keller remains one of the best in the world, but beyond Keller, there hasn't been a secondary centrepiece that should be a top pairing defender in this league. Boston has tried to fit that spot taking Sophie Jaques 10th overall in 2023 and Daniela Pejsova 7th overall in 2024. Neither however, were given the chance to fill that role in Boston. It's left a group of contributors like Sidney Morin, Jessica DiGirolamo, and Emily Brown who are all excellent defenders who could fill out 3-6 roles in the PWHL, but are perhaps being elevated too high in Boston's lineup. With where Boston will select in the 2025 PWHL Draft, they'll have a chance to pick from either Haley Winn, Nicole Gosling, or Rory Guilday. Any would be the top end upgrade they need, and if Boston is willing to work with Pejsova rather than bury her, odds are they still have a star in the making there as well.
Boston barely missed, but going 4-6 over their last ten games, including a pair of losses to Ottawa, and their season ending blowout at the hands of Minnesota spelled out their destiny. Changes can be expected in Boston.