Close to 60% of the PWHL's current player pool will become unrestricted free agents at the end of the year, unless the PWHL alters their plans, which could spark a massive shuffle.
When the NHL's free agency period opens, it's coupled with a flourish of player movement that keeps fans and media on their toes.
When the PWHL's free agent period opens this summer, it will be beyond anything fans accustomed only to the NHL will be able to fathom. According to league sources, the current plan is that any player on a one-year contract will become an unrestricted free agent following this year. An exclusivity period may exist where current teams have time to negotiate new contracts before free agency, but aside from six players per team on three-year guaranteed deals and a handful on two-year contracts, the remainder of the league, as it stands now, will become unrestricted free agents. It's the equivalent of 57.9% of the league, who could potentially be trading places. As we've seen so far, the PWHL can sometimes change rules on the fly, but at the moment, unrestricted free agency is the plan.
Here's who is locked into mutli-year deals.
- Boston - Three-Year Deals: Aerin Frankel, Sophie Jaques, Alina Muller, Hilary Knight, Megan Keller, Jamie Lee Rattray. Two-Year Deals: Emma Soderberg, Jessica DiGirolamo, Loren Gabel, Taylor Girard, Teresa Schafzahl.
- Minnesota - Three-Year Deals: Nicole Hensley, Lee Stecklein, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, Grace Zumwinkle. Two-Year Deals: Maddie Rooney, Natalie Buchbinder, Maggie Flaherty, Denisa Krizova, Susanna Tapani.
- Montreal - Three-Year Deals: Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renee Desbiens, Maureen Murphy, Erin Ambrose, Kristen O'Neill, Laura Stacey. Two-Year Deals: Dominika Laskova, Kati Tabin, Kennedy Marchment, Tereza Vanisova.
- New York - Three-Year Deals: Jaime Bourbonnais, Ella Shelton, Micah Zandee-Hart, Jessie Eldridge, Alex Carpenter, Abby Roque. Two-Year Deals: Chloe Aurard, Jill Saulnier
- Ottawa - Three-Year Deals: Emerance Maschmeyer, Ashton Bell, Gabbie Hughes, Brianne Jenner, Savannah Harmon, Emily Clark. Two-Year Deals: Hayley Scamurra, Jincy Roese
- Toronto - Three-Year Deals: Blayre Turnbull, Jocelyne Larocque, Emma Maltais, Kristen Campbell, Renata Fast, Sarah Nurse. Two-Year Deals: Kali Flanagan, Jesse Compher, Maggie Connors, Natalie Spooner
From the PWHL's scoring leaders through the first quarter of the season, the top ten scorers in the league are all on multi-year contracts. Lexie Adzija, who currently sits 11th in league scoring is the top point producer among players on one-year deals. Also in the top 20 in league scoring on one-year deals are Jade Downie-Landry and Rebecca Leslie.
Arguably the league's top goaltender through the opening month of the season, Corinne Schroeder is also on a one-year contract, as are Elaine Chuli and Abbey Levy who sit among the top half of PWHL goalies statistically.
While internal shuffle will certainly happen, there could also be a large turnover within the league itself as the PWHL plans for their second ever draft, and how to handle eligibility for that draft.
The league has yet to communicate to teams if the 2024 PWHL Draft will include limits on age, professional experience, or remaining NCAA eligibility. There is a chance players over a certain age competing in Europe may also be free agents, or alternately, could be put into a draft again this year.
However the league decides to proceed with free agency and the draft, there will again be at least 100 players, including 80 currently under contract for this season alone, fighting it out for roster spaces this offseason.