Buckle up, get a drink now, stretch out your legs, and give your eyes a few good blinks. As expected, there were a ton of questions this week following expansion, free agency opening, and with the draft looming. 

Some have been combined to try to answer as many as possible this week. If you don't see your question answered this week, drop a question into the comments below and watch for next week's mailbag.

Any further reports or updates on a potential Kristen Campbell trade? What would the Ottawa Charge trade for Jaime Bourbonnais? 

The Toronto Sceptres have Kristen Campbell on the market. That's as far as this has gone. The biggest problem is no team knows where their cap situation will sit, and Campbell comes with a prohibitive contract. To get rid of Campbell's contract, Toronto might need to sweeten the deal with a draft pick or another player, and take back a contract someone else is looking to offload. New York would be a good fit for one season, but Pascal Daoust's focus will be on locking in Sarah Fillier and his new top pick long term before the finances are known. There's limited space in the league for a goalie at that cost point, and Toronto has, according to sources, said they're willing to go the year with Campbell as their third if needed. 

Bourbonnais would be an obvious fit in Ottawa for a variety of reasons and New York has the assets to move a defender. The problem is, who can Ottawa afford to lose up front because the ask in return is going to be a forward. Katerina Mrazova might do the trick, but is that a move Ottawa can afford up front? Until they finish the draft, it's not likely a trade happens. Daoust will be patient. He likely has no problem starting the season and waiting a few weeks or a month to see how his blueline gels before moving someone.

Any rumblings on which goalie will be taken first in the draft and which team will be looking to take one early?

Sanni Ahola and Hannah Murphy are the top two goaltenders in this draft. In my mock draft, I also selected a third, Callie Shanahan, and mentioned a few others like Kaley Doyle. The goalie market right now is really confusing for teams who need a back up. The talent level is not what it was at the position and there will be a few teams who will need to be very strategic about when their backups get in, or hope they hit gold and their backup steps forward. Vancouver and New York are likely the two teams who will want a goalie first - Vancouver to spell off Maschmeyer who is coming off an injury, and New York as a tandem for Osborne. At least Seattle, Boston, and New York all had serious interest in Klara Peslarova before she decided to go to Europe. Only Montreal, Toronto, and Minnesota will for sure wait until after the draft to do anything in net.

What about U Sports (Canadian university) players in the draft?

I've answered this one at length with some people who are upset we didn't rank more U Sports players. 26 declared, but it's likely none will be drafted unless Vancouver pulls a local name late with Chanreet Bassi or Mackenzie Kordic who are both very capable of being fourth liners in this league and potentially working their way up. There are plenty of U Sports players who are "as good" as NCAA players, but there are no U Sports players who are better than the top 35-40 NCAA players in this draft. In a 48 player draft, that doesn't leave a lot of room.  There isn't a U Sports program that would stand a chance in the WCHA or ECAC. There are several U Sports teams that could compete with the bottom half of NCAA programs. The best route for most U Sports players is to go to Europe for a season, put up big numbers and then look to come back. It would not be surprising to see PWHL teams give serious looks to Maggy Burbidge, Elizabeth Lang, Joelle Fiala, or Emma Bergesen who did just that as free agents or a late round pick. Leah Herrfort is another graduating U Sports player from Waterloo I really like. Madison Laberge is a solid defender from Nipissing as well. I could also see Montreal giving a look to another U Sports player, maybe Leonie Philbert, as a reserve. There's also a bit of a trend here that Herrfort, Burbidge, and Fiala all played in the NCAA prior to U Sports.

2026: Foundational Signings, More Roster Shuffle, Current One-Year Deals

Several questions came in about what happens when the three-year foundational signing contracts expire, and the wealth of players on expiring contracts, including a lot of young players in the league, after this season.

Remember, the 18 foundational signings got to choose their destination, so there's no reason to believe they'll choose to leave. There's been a belief since day one by general managers that many of these players will need to take pay cuts to stay in the league. But of the 36 three-year contracts, only Emerance Maschmeyer has an extension in place for an extra year, and there will certainly be another significant player shuffle across the league that could be exasperated by another expansion. Will some of these players retire? Not many. If anything they'll take a more team friendly contract close to family and friends to finish out their career. 

Anyone on an expiring three-year, or who signed a one-year deal this season (Eg. Susanna Tapani) might see the strategy in not signing beyond next year. The players with the most protection this season were the free agents on expiring contracts. They could sit patiently through the expansion process and then decide to stay with their team, go to an expansion team, or  any other team. I see that as the biggest reason many of those expiring deals aren't extending farther. Players see more expansion and shuffle coming, and short term deals keep their futures in their own hands instead of what turned out to be the ill devised ideas of the league that upset so many.

Ottawa, What The Heck Ottawa, That Ottawa GM, Ottawa?

Every meme out there showing someone poking a dead animal with a stick, or kicking a lump and saying "do something" was used by Ottawa fans in the last week. They were confused, they were hurt, they were panicked, confused again, called for heads, and are still probably huddled somewhere in the corner of a dark room muttering something about Vancouver or Vanisova or Van something. 

Ottawa did EVERYTHING they could to lock in players. They out bid other teams, they showcased their locker room chemistry, and incredible fan base. It didn't work. There were maybe a few deals that they could have got across the line but missed, but that's the same for almost every team that was negotiating with several players at once. There's also some belief among agents in the league that a handful of players that expressed serious interest to Ottawa in the expansion exclusive signing window, but when it came time for real free agency, those conversations didn't materialize to anything substantial and ended quickly as the players had decisions made. This might be the first true example of how "small markets" will struggle in free agency like they do in the NHL. But it just wasn't the case that Ottawa didn't offer enough or try to lock in players. The good news is, players have choice in this league. But it doesn't work out for every team every summer.

It's natural in professional sports to point the finger at the general manager in this situation which many fans have done with Mike Hirshfeld. The anger is understandable and there needs to be a person to point at. If it were me, I'd be pointing a little above Hirshfeld. This expansion process was devised with so little thought about the impact on existing teams it's baffling. Hirshfeld was the architect of a miraculous playoff run for the Ottawa Charge this year making trades for Vanisova, Darkangelo, and Larocque that payed dividends. Yes, two of the three are gone, but this has become a league where three-year deals mean nothing. It's win now every year with no thought beyond the coming season. That's what this expansion process has taught us.

Will there be a regular season break for Rivalry Series? Where might the Takeover Tour be going next season? 

Yes, there will be breaks. International breaks are still built into the PWHL's CBA, although as they played out last season, they were, aside from the World Championships, not very "international" as they weren't long enough for players from Europe to actually go home to play for their national teams. They are North American breaks for the Rivalry Series which will play a shortened four game series in November and December alone this year. 

As for the Takeover Tour, it will likely return to a spot or two that had strong crowds last year. Quebec City, Denver, Detroit, and Edmonton headline that list, but the league could take another look at a place like Raleigh as well. Odds are however, the PWHL will also target new markets to test run including Las Vegas, Nashville or Columbus, somewhere in California, and at least one other Canadian market. I wrote about the options here.

Why are the pressers with Carla and the Charge players so softball? Not one media type have asked her the tough questions! Nothing about team connectivity with coaching or front office management…why line changes, why players aren’t dressed…all softball questions!

This was an interesting question from the media side so I wanted to touch on it briefly. Traditionally there hasn't been a ton of media covering women's hockey, and the media that existed had no line between fandom and objectivity. That's one facet. The other is, the entire ecosystem from media to players and staff are far more respectful of each other, largely leaving the massive egos and toxic culture of men's hockey, including men's hockey media, at the door. Yes, media should be asking those questions, and we've seen it elsewhere, Montreal for example. It will come as this league continues to grow and more outlets devout time and space to analysis and critique, not simply celebrating signings and growth. 

I was having dinner with a member of Canda's 2002 Olympic gold medal winning roster a while back, and she told me a common conversation that team had was that they'd finally know women's hockey had "made it" to the mainstream when media and fans were critical of their play. It was something they welcomed. Their justification was, if media and were critiquing the on-ice play, judging giveaways, bad penalties, or weak goals it meant people were becoming knowledgeable, and more importantly, watching closely enough to notice. Prior to this league, the game wasn't covered professionally enough and games that existed weren't easily watchable. Now that they are, these things will come, including harder hitting questions.

Mark Walter spent $10 Billion on the Los Angeles Lakers. Why are PWHL players still feasting on scraps? 

It's frustrating. Walter is footing the PWHL's bill and keeping the league stable as it grows. There's no way to know if the league is profitable now, or when that will occur. It's believed the league is currently losing money, but you also see the positives of expansion, which also comes with more cost for Walter. Nobody put down this much money for women's hockey before, and that's amazing. 

The players are certainly in a bind financially, and many of the terms in the collective agreement are beyond prohibitive for the players. The league owners obviously wanted stable finances for as long as possible to keep costs low in the eight year CBA, but the omissions are glaring. Sadly, less than 30% of the existing player pool a number that will shrink significantly again this year were allowed to vote for a contract 100% of players need to abide by. If the PWHL wants to help the players, they'll re-open discussions in two major areas - one being a profit share model related to broadcasting, and similarly for merchandise. 

That said, the $10 billion investment could pay every player salary in the PWHL from last season for 1,279 years. You read that right. There might not be an inch of natural ice left on this planet by that point. The players deserve more, but it also need to be done strategically. Walter was featured on a lengthy television segment the other day and didn't mention the PWHL once. It's likely an indication of where his true priorities are at the moment.

Free Housing In Vancouver? Cap circumvention in Vancouver? 

This is a funny one. The free housing in Vancouver that lured every top player to the city is located two lefts and a right on your flat earth map. And watch out for the Sasquatch who is the landlord of those all gold apartments. As for cap circumvention, Cara Gardner Morey has been using the replicator from the Starship Enterprise to make money, and she has been spotted more than once linking arms with Scott Bakula to make a Quantum Leap back in time to change her offers and sabotage other teams and save herself. That part was for the conspiracy theorists, at least the ones who grew up in the 90s. The real answer is, if there's a property owner in Vancouver willing to offer free housing to players in this league, more power to them, and it circumvents nothing. The league's housing stipend of $1591.35 isn't enough for a player to live on their own in almost any market in the league. This argument is like saying that Toronto circumvented the cap by signing a young Toronto player who gets offered free housing by their family. Plus, if you can find free housing in Vancouver for one person, let alone 26, you should check to see if you can walk on water across the Strait of Georgia. Fans are angry. They want a villain to blame. Vancouver has the exact same amount of money to work with that every other team has. They just had the advantage of seeing every contract before they started building, and the freedom to hand pick players. That's on the league, not a team that followed all the rules to build the best possible team. Gardner Morey did an incredible job, and if players were so concerned with the cost of living, they'd have avoided Vancouver like the plague.

Are there any more free agents the Frost are looking at?

Expect Minnesota's signings to be of the depth kind. They might get Butorac or Bryant to return, and then target Minnesota products post draft.  It's notable watching Thompson, Jaques, Cava, Flaherty, Channell-Watkins, and Schepers go immediately after winning a second title. Those players were as far from the core group involved in last summer's coup as they could be, and it's not surprising to see them leave. Minnesota will always have a group of Minnesota products ready and willing to play in the State of Hockey. 

What are the PWHL’s executives thoughts on how the expansion process has gone?

I believe the league screwed up, significantly, on this expansion process. They gave way too much to Seattle and Vancouver, showing a lack of understanding of their own player pool, and a massive lack of understanding of their existing fan bases and what drives fandom in the PWHL. 

That said, you'll never hear that message come from PWHL staffers...publicly. 

One thing that the league has shown however, is that they listen. They listen to fan reaction, they watch online discussions, they read articles, listen to broadcasts, and they use that information to inform future decisions. This feedback has been hitting them like a hail storm for weeks. Unfortunately, unlike other decisions in the past, there's no reversing course here. The only thing to do is weather the storm, and prepare more appropriately for the next expansion...which...

How long before another expansion?

As soon as possible. If you could climb behind the scenes you'd see that the league has a plan for future growth that far outstretches the six team start or eight team present. If the league can feasibly move to 10 teams in time for 2026-27 they will, especially with the potential massive wave of talent coming in the 2026 Draft. They certainly don't want to water down the talent pool, and will want to avoid isolating fans again like they did this time around, but expansion is coming, as soon as it can. Before the league hits the end of the current collective bargaining agreement in 2031 the goal is to be at 12 teams. And again, that remains the start of a long term vision, not the end.

What are the Sirens doing to try to not finish last again?

As much as it might not seem like it, the answer is 'everything they possibly can.' The biggest thing New York is attacking right now is their team culture. Fans may not have understood the reasoning for who New York exposed, but in New York, it was the opposite of the old adage. In their case, the devil they didn't know was better than the devil they knew. Things had to change, and the change might not be done yet. There might be collateral damage in the process, including a few of the players New York lost in expansion, but the Sirens aren't done breaking it down yet. The trade market is open in New York, and it's been open for a year. What New York can do is lock in Sarah Fillier, lock in Kristyna Kaltounkova or Casey O'Brien, draft good people including a few veterans, and focus on making everything stable. Don't fool yourselves, the league did no favours to New York with their facilities or housing in year one. New York has been fighting an uphill battle from day one, and they remain a year behind.

Who do you think the Charge select 5th or overall? Do you know who are the top RHD in the entry draft?

They have to select a defender. Hand be darned. Rory Guilday or Nicole Gosling will be the pick. Both are lefties with huge upside and top four capabilities in this league. Haley Winn who will be off the board before Ottawa steps to the microphone at fifth overall is the top RHD in the draft. I'd be shocked if Kendall Cooper, my #2 ranked RHD in the draft is still there when they come back around at 13th, but if she is, she's the pick. If not I'd jump with both feet to take Nina Jobst-Smith from UMD. She's a righty with significant international experience who can hold her own as Ottawa's #4 blueliner. Vita Ponyatovskaya is another righty. There's a good number as the draft progresses, but that's the top.

Toronto and Canada and Canada and Toronto, And Campbell

It's a common question. In my opinion, Toronto doesn't get Daryl Watts at the bargain they got her for last year without the knowledge she'd make more than double her PWHL salary playing for Canada's national team last year. Bringing in Emma Woods and seeing her on Canada's summer invite was another moment when the team showed themselves. Gina Kingsbury has been a rule follower during PWHL free agency, which can't be said for everyone, but she's had integrity through it all. There are very blurry lines however between Canada and Toronto. Inherently Troy Ryan and Kingsbury will have knowledge of Canada's talent pool from scouting it. Shutting that area of their brains off heading to the PWHL is impossible. But there's other times where folks have spotted Hockey Canada devices in Sceptres operations, and Kingsbury admitted last year to not having scouts, which was another red flag on the conflict of interest front.

That said, there's no rules against finding a competitive advantage through coaches who coach internationally as well. And we've seen Toronto adapt as they've learned more about the league and player pool. The number of Canadian national team players on their roster is declining, while American players and international players become more prevalent. It's going to help Toronto, not hurt them. 

As for Kristen Campbell, I believe her time with Canada is over. Toronto has two goalies they trust more on their own roster, let alone Maschmeyer, Schroeder, Desbiens, and Gascon. Campbell is still a great goalie, but I can't see her continuing on with Canada.

Is there any anger internally because of the expansion and the Vancouver monster? Since the whole rules for the expansion teams were set up with parity in mind….how is the league justifying this now?

100%. None of the original six GMs or coaches were happy with that process. Some were flat out incensed, but they also had no say. GMs were almost exclusively left in the dark about the exact ins and outs of the expansion process until it was announced, and as we saw with the draft order, the league itself was making decisions on the fly. Tons of anger, tons of frustration after spending years building rosters and fan bases. As upset as fans were, it was echoed from all corners of the league except for the small handful that made these decisions. 

As for parity, we'll wait and see. Vancouver and Seattle will make the playoffs unless someone can effectively place a hex on both. Montreal has built a competitive team, even with the expansion rosters. But parity from top to bottom is gone. New York, Boston, and Ottawa are going to have tough stretches. The good news is, 75% of the games played in this league by the original six, will be against the original six. And in the first two years we've seen regular season performance doesn't beat a hot hand in playoffs.

Key injuries, red hot goalies, upsets are possible. But if the league claims parity has been maintained, it's a false narrative for self preservation. There will be original six teams that steal games from the expansion teams, and stay tight. The biggest question mark out west is can they divide the cake enough to keep everyone happy, and how will chemistry factor in.

Should the PWHL have compensation picks for lost player in free agency? Should there be 5 year contracts in the league?

For compensation, no, not in my opinion. I think it would have been completely acceptable to give the original six teams a few compensatory picks at the end of the draft this year to give them a little more leverage at the draft to rebuild. I also think the league should consider compensatory picks for players like Amanda Kessel who declared and refused to play, or in the case Noora Tulus is permitted to break her contract, I think if the league decides in Tulus' favour, New York deserves a second or third round compensatory pick for that. There are circumstances the league needs to look at in the name of rebalancing the league.

Five year contracts should be allowed, but I don't see the purpose. This league is changing by the day. More expansion is coming too. The best payday a player can hope for is to be a free agent in an expansion year or in a year when a lot of other players are coming available. In the NHL where it's millions of dollars, players will go anywhere for 5+ years. In this league, nobody can lock in their life at $45,000 without considering other factors like family, offseason jobs, housing, and geographic preference. Three is good for now, but if the players want longer deals, then I hope they're permitted to have them. This league should be able protecting and supporting the players, so if they believe it's good for them, I'm fully supportive.