Hilary Knight has joined a growing group of talent with Detroit's new PWHL franchise.
Hilary Knight is heading to Detroit.
Knight has been linked to PWHL Detroit since the opening day of Phase 2 signing, and she was believed to have agreed to a contract with Detroit.
Knight was not taking Detroit's EFO, which went to Daryl Watts, and instead it's believed the Team USA captain had agreed to a deal like others, including Brianne Jenner, leaving the EFO tool available to her future team.
However, according to sources, the issue in Detroit stemmed from the timing of Las Vegas' Expansion Franchise Offer (EFO), and Detroit's.
Whether Knight was Las Vegas' first or second-ranked EFO, Knight was informed she'd been assigned to PWHL Las Vegas. That however, according to sources, came after Knight had committed herself to Detroit.
The timing is difficult as multiple sources within the PWHL confirmed that players were being contacted to consider moving to expansion teams prior to the opening of Phase One. It's also complicated by the PWHL's lack of transparency in the expansion process as the league has not revealed EFO rankings, nor who appeared on team's 20-player target lists.
If both Detroit and Las Vegas had Daryl Watts as their first ranked EFO, it could explain the timing. When Watts signed in Detroit, it would have triggered Knight as Las Vegas' second ranked EFO. Or perhaps, Knight was Vegas' top ranked EFO, and she was waiting for a resolution on her desire to play in Detroit until the final moment, which would have been 12pm ET on June 9.
If the first scenario was correct, however, Knight could have agreed in principle to a contract with Detroit before Las Vegas' second ranked EFO was activated, finding a loophole in the PWHL's complex rules, one that wouldn't supersede the EFO, but certainly could have complicated the matter.
A member of the Seattle Torrent's 2025-26 roster told The Hockey News earlier this week that Knight had informed those close to her that she was going to Detroit.
According to The Associated Press, Knight's move to Detroit will be a sign-and-trade for Las Vegas' first round pick. To complete this, the PWHL would either have needed to change their own rules to resolve the situation (as PWHL draft picks are not eligible to be traded until June 16), or Knight will remain the property of Las Vegas until the 16th when picks can be traded. It is likely Vegas will need to retain Knight officially until June 16, as PWHL expansion rules state teams must have five players under contract at the end of Phase Two, which Las Vegas would not have without Knight.
It's an interesting trade given the PWHL has yet to announce the draft order, meaning Las Vegas will be trading Knight without knowing if the pick they're receiving is 2nd overall, 11th overall, or somewhere in between.
According to sources, the impasse occurred in how to get Knight to Detroit, as she did not want to play in Las Vegas. Those sources stated Hilary Knight's goal of joining Detroit was long established, and that Knight moving to Detroit was a selling feature for their other signings including Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes, who also joined from Seattle.
Knight tied for the PWHL scoring lead in 2024-25 scoring 29 points in 30 games while captaining the Boston Fleet.
She signed last season in expansion with the Seattle Torrent, scoring 14 points in 22 games. She missed a chunk of the PWHL season after suffering a knee injury that she played through while captaining Team USA to an Olympic gold medal in Milan.
Knight was the inaugural captain for both the Boston Fleet and then Seattle Torrent.
Internationally, Knight has two Olympic gold medals and three silver, along with 10 World Championship gold medals and five silver. She is the World Championships all-time leading scorer and USA's all-time leading scorer on the international stage.
The former IIHF Player of the Year is a future Hockey Hall of Famer and was a PWHL First Team All-Star in 2025.