The PWHLPA has laid out the expansion process for next season, and buckle up, because it’s a complicated one. Honestly, it might be one of the most complex expansion formats we’ve seen in sports, especially when you consider that, if the tentative dates hold, it all kicks off in just 23 days.

What’s more, it's believed expansion teams don’t even have GMs or coaches in place yet, let alone the staff required to handle a process like this.

So today, I’m going to play GM. Not for an expansion team, but for the Montreal Victoire, because this isn’t just complicated for the newcomers, it’s just as tricky for the teams already in place.

Montreal’s first step is to either protect three players or use one of those spots to sign a free agent.

While the market will feature several high-end names like Taylor Heise, Brianne Jenner, Grace Zumwinkle, Daryl Watts, Lee Stecklein, and Julia Gosling, it would be surprising to see Montreal go that route.

It would likely take something significant, like a retirement from Marie-Philip Poulin or an absence for pregnancy within the Poulin–Stacey duo, for the team to pivot in that direction.

As things stand, the expectation is that Montreal will protect the same trio as last year: Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Ann-Renée Desbiens.

The Victoire have 13 UFAs for next season: Abby Roque, Maggie Flaherty, Catherine Dubois, Dara Greig, Alexandra Labelle, Jade Downie-Landry, Kaitlin Willoughby, Erin Ambrose, Amanda Boulier, Sandra Abstreiter, Maureen Murphy, Megan Warrener, and Nadia Mattivi.

The team also has four RFAs: Natalie Mlynkova, Skylar Irving, Maya Labad, and Tamara Giaquinto.

And in Phase 1 of the process, teams can’t lose more than one free agents to another existing team. With so many star players available, and only one per team able to sign with a new organization, I don’t expect many players from Montreal being picked.

In Phase 2 all 17 of Montreal's pending free agent players would be available to expansion teams.

These four teams (if it’s four, we still don’t know) have to submit a 20-player list called an Exclusive Negotiation Target List (ENTL) and they can sign up to five players from that list.

There are also two new types of contracts that can be offered.

One Expansion Franchise Offer (EFO), with a minimum salary of $100,000 per year, which the player must accept if offered. And up to four Foundational Player Offers (FPO), each with a minimum salary of $80,000, which players are free to decline.

In Montreal, only three players from the unprotected list are making more than $80,000: Abby Roque, Maureen Murphy, and Erin Ambrose.

I could see teams including Abby Roque on their lists, but even after her best season yet, she would likely have to accept significantly less than the $116,000 she’s making this year. There’s also a sense around the league that she’s found the right fit in Montreal, although with Poulin, Stacey, and Desbiens all taking pay cuts this year to allow the team to sign players like Roque, who had a significant portion of her salary retained by New York, there may not be the money to pay top dollar for Roque.

It’s not out of the question to see Erin Ambrose draw interest as well. But she’s not quite the same player she was when she won Defender of the Year in 2024. The question becomes: is she worth at least $80,000?

As for Maureen Murphy, it would be surprising to see a team offer that kind of money. Her value likely aligns more with the player she’s been over the past three seasons, rather than the one drafted in 2023.

In the end, Montreal may come out of this relatively unscathed.

Where it gets tricky is this: if an expansion team fails to sign five players during Phase 2, it can pivot and select unprotected players who are already under contract, provided they’re on their ENTL.

For example, if Boston protects Haley Winn, Megan Keller, and Aerin Frankel, someone like Alina Müller could be left exposed and selected by an expansion team.

Same idea in Minnesota: if they lock in Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, and Kendall Coyne Schofield, they could end up losing players like Lee Stecklein, Kendall Cooper, Grace Zumwinkle or Britta Curl-Salemme.

The intent behind this system was to give players more control. But in practice, a savvy expansion team could still land quality players through selection rather than signing, without needing the player’s consent.

In Montreal’s case, assuming Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Ann-Renée Desbiens are protected, that would leave Nicole Gosling, Kati Tabin, and Hayley Scamurra exposed.

And among them, there’s a strong chance a team would select the 24-year-old Nicole Gosling.

At this stage, Montreal must protect or sign three additional players, just like in Phase 1.

One option would be to sign Abby Roque and Erin Ambrose, while protecting Kati Tabin, especially if Nicole Gosling is selected earlier.

The challenge is projecting which players will still be available from the free-agent pool at this point. That said, Montreal has often shown loyalty to its players. Last season, the moment they had the opportunity, they chose to protect Erin Ambrose.

This time, both sides would need to agree to terms, but it’s easy to envision a scenario where Erin Ambrose takes a pay cut to stay. If Abby Roque ends up asking for too much, the team could pivot to protecting Hayley Scamurra or targeting a free agent instead.

At this point, expansion teams can sign up to three free agents. However, any player who received an FPO in Phase 2 must sign with one of the twelve teams before the phase ends

Only Erin Ambrose and Abby Roque fit that description, which means Montreal should be in a relatively safe position here—unless they’re unable to keep Abby Roque.

This is the phase where expansion teams are forced outside their ENTL, meaning we could start seeing more depth players come off the board.

I wouldn’t be surprised if players like Natalie Mlynkova, Maggie Flaherty, or Nadia Mattivi are selected here.

At this point, any UFA or RFA can either re-sign with their current team or wait until after the entry draft.

Montreal may get some deals done here, but they’re not losing anyone in this phase.

If we step back and look at the big picture, Montreal could realistically lose Nicole Gosling, Maggie Flaherty, Nadia Mattivi, and Natalie Mlynkova, with Abby Roque and Erin Ambrose also in play.

However, Montreal can only lose four contracted players between Phases 2 and 4, meaning two of those six would ultimately be spared.

A year ago, Montreal lost Cayla Barnes, Jennifer Gardiner, Abby Boreen, and Anna Wilgren.

Compared to that group, this potential list doesn’t feel like as significant a hit, especially if the team manages to keep Abby Roque and Erin Ambrose.

That said, losing Nicole Gosling would likely be the most impactful blow of them all.