Predicting Each PWHL Team's Six Three-Year Contracts

Each team has three players committed to three-year contracts, but are required to sign a minimum of six players to guaranteed three-year deals. Here's who each could target.

Each PWHL team is required to sign no fewer than six players to three-year, guaranteed standard player agreements. While no player has signed a standard player yet, 18 players, three per team, have signed letters of intent as a placeholder. 

Knowing each team already has three players committed to the three-year guaranteed contracts, here's a look at who each team could target with their final three, three-year deals. 

Alina Muller will certainly be signed to a three year contract. Had Muller gone first overall no one would have batted an eye. She's the most important forward on Boston's roster, and will be counted on to drive offense for the team. There's no better option for Boston to build around as a person and a player than Muller. Beyond the Swiss superstar, a trio of names emerge as candidates for the remaining contracts, and all are likely to open their negotiations with the team seeking one. Jamie Lee Rattray is a unique player in the fact at the college and professional levels, Rattray has been a high end offensive scorer. With the national team, Rattray plays a depth energy role. Based on the game scenario in Boston, Rattray could be both. Depending on how Boston approaches their contracts, the team could also opt for Loren Gabel as a three-year player. She's five years younger than Rattray, and as Knight ages, having a pure scorer locked in to run shotgun with Muller will be valuable. The final candidate Boston could target is Sophie Jaques. In a league where defence is already thin, locking in the Patty Kazmaier winning blueliner for three seasons, where she's only going to improve, is a distinct likelihood. 

Taylor Heise. We could talk about this Taylor Heise topic of the certainly Taylor Heise is signed to a Taylor Heise because Taylor Heise. That's how certain it is that Minnesota locks up the first overall choice with a three-year deal. She is the foundation for the future, and a star of the present. GM Natalie Darwitz said when she got the first overall pick in the draft it didn't even take a nanosecond for Heise's name to jump into her head, and it's the same here. Nicole Hensley is the likely next in line here, although there is certainly risk to giving goaltenders three-year guarantees when the market is so flooded with incoming and young talent. Perhaps no team has the straight forward path that Minnesota goes, as Grace Zumwinkle is the final "obvious" candidate. Setting up Zumwinkle alongside Heise for the foreseeable future gives Minnesota two-thirds of a scoring line that will get better in the coming years.

From perhaps the most straightforward path in Minnesota, to perhaps the most uncertain path in Montreal, Daniele Sauvageau has a tough decision to make on her final contract. Erin Ambrose and Kristen O'Neill, as long time Canadian national team members who compliment the trio the team has already secured, make perfect sense. Beyond this duo, it gets a little cloudier. At forward, Montreal could bet on Maureen Murphy, but since Murphy hasn't made a pro or international debut, she's a bit of a wildcard to secure for three seasons. She'll almost certainly produce and be a key to Montreal's future, but could Montreal choose a safer path? The safer path up front would be Kennedy Marchment, who has produced sizeable numbers in back to back professional campaigns in North America. Marchment is only 26 herself, and it's hard to see Marchment not finding success with the group Montreal has built. Despite these two options, the defensive depth of the league makes Dominika Laskova even more valuable in Montreal. Laskova, 26, is likely to surprise women's hockey fans who may not have seen her play. She was crucial on Czechia's blueline at the World Championships, and will face top lines with Montreal, and likely grab powerplay duty.

Locking in New York's young blueline will be a focus for Pascal Daoust. Ella Shelton and Jamie Bourbonnais have their best years ahead, and it will give New York a solid foundation moving forward. Jessie Eldridge is the obvious choice for New York's final spot. A proven scorer, fans could see Eldridge produce big numbers this season finishing off the muck and grind of Carpenter and Roque. She's an excellent shooter, and is built for the pro game. If there's doubt to be raised in the path New York goes, they wouldn't be wrong to target Chloe Aurard or Corinne Schroeder.

Ottawa swung early and often at blueliners, and seeing them lock in their first two picks in Savannah Harmon and Ashton Bell see like near certainties. It may be presumptuous to assume Ottawa will use their final mandated three-year contract on their next pick Jincy Dunne, although Dunne is certainly worthy of it, and will be a valued contributor on and off the ice in Ottawa. Gabrielle Hughes, Daryl Watts, Hayley Scamurra, and even the Czech duo of Aneta Tejralova and Katerina Mrazova could be in the mix. Ottawa has already shown a willingness to do things differently, and building a culture may hold equal value to Michael Hirshfeld and Carla MacLeod as simply locking in the six most skilled players. In a season long effort, that will get more formal following this inaugural campaign, many factors will weigh into building a winner.

Gina Kingsbury and Troy Ryan have shown considerable comfort in choosing the known player to their experiences. Emma Maltais is certainly a player the team will lock in, but after Maltais, Toronto will face a question of known versus unknown. Victoria Bach would be the known entity. Her game will translate well to professional hockey, a fact Toronto's staff has touted. The American duo of Jesse Compher and Kali Flanagan could provide a fascinating departure from the Team Canada feel. Compher is coming off a national title in Wisconsin, and has represented USA internationally. It will be exciting to watch her game fuse with Turnbull, Nurse, Bach, and Maltais as two third of a top six. Ensuring they have blueline stability however, Toronto should consider opting for Kali Flanagan. Flanagan brings a lot of intangibles to the roster, off and on ice, and will surprise many. She has Olympic and World Championship gold medals with Team USA, but her recent absence from USA's roster is not an indictment on her ability, rather a philosophical decision of Team USA to use NCAA players. Flanagan is the reigning PHF defender of the year, and she thrives under staffs and schemes putting confidence in her game.