PWHL expansion is entering new phases, with more protections looming, but teams continue to hear of tampering, salary cap considerations are arising, and the rumour mill continues to turn.
PWHL expansion continues to be incredibly eventful. For fans of existing teams, it's been painful. Perhaps more painful than last season's expansion to Seattle and Vancouver as teams are losing unequal numbers of players, and there's very little talent on the market remaining for existing teams to recoup those losses given the fact they've remained handcuffed in negotiations.
It's also clear to see that the talent distribution is less of a dispersal, and more of a diffusion. Some teams will hit the ice significantly weaker than they were last season, but the talent level across the league will have a small decrease.
Tampering Ongoing, And It Won't Stop
Tampering with players outside the prescribed windows of PWHL expansion negotiation has continued. It started days before Phase One, and has not ceased. It got to the point on Wednesday, that the PWHL held a call with general managers across the league and again reiterated the rules around tampering, and need to adhere to those rules.
There is concern among teams at the involvement certain "consultants" have had in the negotiation process and their willingness to work outside the defined channels and time frames. Other teams have raised concern that they've lost star players due to direct tampering outside the expansion manual rules.
The league's message was clear, but what some teams and representatives believe, is that the league didn't provide enough clarity heading into this process on what constitutes tampering. The message after the call was also clearly favouring the idea that there would be no repercussions for what has occurred during expansion, as there's little interest or ability to investigate or reprimand.
Money Issues Incoming In Certain Markets
While some teams look less impacted by expansion than others, the spending in this round of expansion has been well above the norm. Expansion teams are giving raises above what the players they've signed would have otherwise received. It could force teams like Detroit and Hamilton to get a little more creative while filling out the bottom half of their roster. But it's a good problem to have with the talent they both acquired.
The two teams who are facing a more difficult scenario are Vancouver and Montreal. Vancouver, having not lost the same number of players as other teams, with only Sydney Bard moving to date, has issues. They re-signed Sarah Nurse for a raise, and then they had their hand forced to give Jennifer Gardiner and Izzy Daniel significant raises. It's possible they know Claire Thompson isn't returning, or Michelle Karvinen, or both. But they also still have Caroline Harvey, or whomever they pick first overall to hand a meaningful contract.
Montreal is set to add Emma Maltais, and they've been tied to both Jessie Eldridge, and efforts to bring back Abby Roque. Even after the losses of Erin Ambrose, Nicole Gosling, and Hayley Scamurra, and the fact that Marie-Philip Poulin is taking yet another pay cut, this time $10,000 more, ahead of next season, Montreal won't have a lot to give once they sign a big name, or two, or three. They've watched $207,588 walk out the door, but that money will be immediately eaten by internal raises, and a major signing.
Vancouver is likely to lose one or more of Ashton Bell, Tereza Vanisova, and Hannah Miller who they'll be unable to protect after being forced to protect Gardiner and Daniel after they received Franchise Player Offers. They'll also almost certainly lose Kristen Campbell to Detroit in Phase 4, or New York via trade, but Campbell's 2026-27 salary won't make a huge dent.
Where Are The Remaining Free Agents Heading?
Grace Zumwinkle is set to re-sign in Minnesota. It's likely Kendall Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein are staying put as well.
Emma Maltais is almost certainly joining the Montreal Victoire. It won't occur until Phase 6, but Montreal is also in the mix not only to keep Abby Roque, but also in luring not only Maltais, but Jessie Eldridge. Eldridge has been tied to multiple teams in the league, which is not surprising given her consistent scoring. Las Vegas is believed to be another contender.
Katerina Mrazova is receiving a lot of interest, but the Ottawa Charge are fighting to keep their veteran in the nation's capital. She like, Roque, are players who have been tied to the Boston Fleet as well, where Boston is looking to recoup the loss of Alina Muller.
Seattle continues to fight to keep players as well, and Aneta Tejralova is the next on the list as she continues to be a hot commodity on the market as well.
The Czech interest seems to be league-wide, as Denisa Krizova is another name that's being talked about in multiple markets as a potential target.
While the last week has felt hectic, it's only just beginning.