184 days. That marks the appoximate length of time from the last PWHL playoff game this year, which took place on May 20, to a potential first game, November 20, which is four days after the World Championships end in November. The league is probable to start even later than that as players return from Denmark.

It's six months. In the PWHL, the offseason is six months for the two teams who advance to the Walter Cup finals. 

For teams who missed the playoffs, the final game was April 25, stretching the offseason to seven months.

It's far from a sustainable gap in the schedule. In that span, momentum falls off. There are long stretches with no news of interest to fans. There are events, like the PWHL Draft and free agency that keep interest in the league high for a month after the final buzzer, but the remainder of the offseason is nearly desolate. Considering the PWHL operates training camps from start to finish in less than two weeks, all of which, including preseason games, being closed to the public, and the span becomes nearly unbearable to even the most dedicated fans.

In the NHL, the Stanley Cup was awarded this year on June 14. Following that date, the league has the NHL Draft, development camps, and free agency. In early September, NHL rookie tournaments kick off across the continent. Then, main camps and a preseason which last year included 104 games, and spanned 15 days, beginning 18 days prior to the regular season. In total, it means the NHL offseason, is roughly three months, but a most 1.5-2 months is quiet, compared to roughly five months of silence from the PWHL.

There are a number of items that could achieve this goal. More games is one, but the CBA restricts the PWHL regular season to 32 games. With the league now sitting at 12 teams, a longer season is coming, and may require the CBA to be revisited sooner. At the other end of scheduling however, the league could also expand the Walter Cup playoffs by one round. The combined measure of expanding the current 30 game schedule to 32, and adding a round to the PWHL playoffs would reduce the offseason by half a month.

The PWHL also needs to look at expanding development options on both sides of their offseason. Hosting development camps following the draft would enable prospects and teams to have a better grasp on what the future holds. With leagues in Europe beginning camps in August and regular season action in September, more than two months ahead of the PWHL, bubble players want to know if their future can be in the PWHL or in Europe. Hosting a brief, even 3-4 day development camp the week after the draft would help, and shorten the offseason further. 

The league could also expand their preseason allowing for an additional game or two to help teams pick their rosters, while opening these to the public to draw interest, sell tickets and again, shrink the offseason.

In other leagues, All-Star weeks are generally a time of rest and recuperation for many, while others showcase the league. Adding an All-Star week to the middle of the season where only an All-Star game, skills competition, and other fan events take place, would again stretch the calendar, while also creating a unique fan experience that women's hockey has done without in a singular pro league.

All-Star activity is built into the collective bargaining agreement based on 12-player teams. It seems like an overly restrictive section of the CBA that will force the PWHL to hold three-on-three All-Star games. The CBA allows for the 12 winners of an All-Star Game to each receive $1,655 in year four. Runners up will make $1,092 based on a 12-player roster. There is no stipulation built into the CBA for any compensation for additional players to compete in an All-Star event. In a 12 player league, it means each team could be guaranteed 1-2 participants only. Still, anything that helps showcase the star power of the PWHL, and spreads the schedule beyond the current scope is positive.

In August each year, national team hopefuls from across the globe come together for training camps. In North America, it involves USA and Canada's Summer Series at the U-18 national team and national development/collegiate select level. Even if it occurred every other year to bisect the Olympic cycle, hosting a summer series of their own could be a significant momentum builder, fan acquisition, and global growth tool for the PWHL. The NHL's 4 Nation Face-Off could be a good model for the league.

The league is dominated by Canadian and American players, but there will soon be nearly enough players from Czechia, Finland, and Sweden to field additional rosters of teams. 11 members of Czechia's Olympic roster will be in the PWHL this season, a number that will continue to grow in coming seasons. Finland is set to hit double digits with 10 players of their own in the PWHL, followed by Sweden with seven. What isn't in the PWHL could easily be made up from North American NCAA rosters, or even bringing back former PWHL players, to complete those nation's rosters. It could also be an excellent opportunity to see incoming prospects head-to-head against PWHL players on North American ice. A simple round robin of one pool of five nations, or even adding a Team World as the sixth to make sure the league's players from Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Austria, and elsewhere can compete, followed by a playoff wouldn't take long. It could be a two week summer showcase for the sport, that would be a fantastic way to divide the long offseason.

No matter how you look at it, the PWHL, in the future, will need to find ways to mitigate their momentum stalling six-month offseason. It's the longest of any major professional sport in North America that doesn't have other options for fans in the offseason.