Montreal Victoire GM Daniele Sauvageau said something at the end of season media availability that struck with many journalists there that day.
“It’s a short-term league.”
And you know what? You don’t have to like it, but she was right!
Not knowing what will happen next season or the one after — including how many new teams will join the PWHL, when those teams are brought in, what the expansion draft process will look like — you can’t really think about the future. You have to take it year-by-year and making sure you have a chance to win the Walter Cup every year.
Because you never know when you’re going to get four of your first five draft picks stolen from you a year later. And no one knows this more than Sauvageau herself.
That’s why you’re seeing so many players joining Vancouver, for less money than offered elsewhere, because right now, the feeling is that they have the best chance of winning the Cup next year.
And that’s also why you need to rethink the way you draft as a GM.
You can’t take the chance of picking a player thinking she’s going to be good or better in two or three seasons. You need players being able to have an impact sooner rather than later.
Montreal got lucky with the new draft order rules. Vancouver and Seattle not only won't pick ahead of them, but because the ranking is now based on the playoffs and not the regular season, Sauvageau will talk at number four instead of number six or eight.
And at number four, she has a chance to pick someone who will have an immediate impact. And that person is Nicole Gosling.
Montreal Needs a Defender
New York was the only team to keep all of its D core, even adding Jincy Roese during the free agency period. So, whether it’s Kristyna Kaltounkova or Casey O’Brien, it’s not relevant. New York is going for a forward.
The Boston Fleet was purged on the blue line, losing five defenders between expansion and free agency. The best D available is Haley Winn so she’s Boston bound.
Toronto is the wild card here. They were able to keep Natalie Spooner, Jesse Compher, Emma Maltais, and Daryl Watts but they also lost Sarah Nurse and Hannah Miller. And even if there’s a chance they could go with Gosling, because of that Team Canada connection, they would be more suited with a forward and that’s when the one not drafted by New York should hear her name.
And that leaves Montreal with Clarkson’s Nicole Gosling.
The team lost Cayla Barnes, Anna Wilgren and Mariah Keopple. Luckily, they were able to keep Erin Ambrose, to re-sign Kati Tabin and to sign Jessica DiGirolamo and Maggie Flaherty. But adding someone like Gosling, who is ready for the PWHL, is exactly what Sauvageau is looking for. She played in the 2024 World Championships, represented Canada at the Rivalry Series and had a second point-per-game season in the NCAA, finishing third in defenders with 39 points, only behind Caroline Harvey and Haley Winn.
Erin Ambrose was one of her mentors with Team Canada, alongside Renata Fast and Ella Shelton. And coach Kori Cheverie knows her pretty well too.
One can only imagine the type of young D core Montreal would have with Barnes, Wilgren and Gosling, but let’s not go there!
In the scenario of Toronto picking Gosling, the obvious choice would be O’Brien, who just won the Patty Kazmaier award.
GM Sauvageau Likes Them Ready
But Sauvageau could also surprise many by choosing Michelle Karvinen. At 35, she’s a true experienced leader, like Sauvageau likes them. Karvinen is Finland’s all-time leading scorer, and she would be the definition of “short-term league!”
Montreal’s second pick is the 12th overall. If Karvinen is still available, Montreal could pick her there. But to be honest, 4th overall might be too soon and 12th overall might be too late.
So, at 12, Sara Hjalmarsson could be Sauvageau’s pick.
Playing in the SDHL, she also has North American experience by playing at Providence College in the NCAA from 2018 and 2023. She’s part of the Swedish national team since 2017, captain of her club team and at 27, would be a great support to Lina Ljungblom.
Where Labad Will Be Drafted?
Montreal is one of four teams to pick three times in the first 20 selections. And in the third round, they've got to have their eyes on Quebecer Maya Labad. The problem is that the forward might be gone since both general managers in Boston and Seattle like to pick from their Alma mater’s backyard of Quinnipiac University. Seattle with the 15th overall or Boston with the 18th could pick her before Montreal has a chance.
And let’s not forget New York where GM Pascal Daoust didn’t shy away from drafting in his own province in the past. Therefore, if Montreal doesn’t draft her at 20, there’s a strong possibility she won’t be there anymore at 28.
Pretty much like last year with Emmy Fecteau, Labad is the only French-Canadian who has a real chance of being drafted on Tuesday. Montreal didn’t pick Fecteau, who went to New York, so let’s see if they’re going to redeem themselves this time around with Labad.
If not Labad, look for the best forward available, whether it’s Russia’s Anna Shokhina, Northeastern’s Skylar Irving or Ohio State’s Makenna Webster. The leadership of St. Lawrence’s captain Anna Segedi or St. Cloud State Emma Gentry’s size, something Montreal needed in the playoffs, might also be good options.