It's been too long since we answered your PWHL questions in an edition of PWHL Rumblings. With the end of the season approaching and the move toward offseason planning, the draft, possible expansion, free agency and more, the rumour mill is beginning to swirl yet again.
Here's a look at what we're hearing from across the PWHL, but first, a question.
What's the delay in expansion?
On February 20, PWHL executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer stated the league hoped to have an expansion update in 4-6 weeks. That window has passed, but the key as the league clarified, was that this was an estimation, not a hard deadline.
It's why when the month of March started coming to a close, people started hearing rumours. Those rumours included everything from a Seattle and Vancouver expansion, to a Denver and Detroit combo. There were wilder ones of Seattle and Denver with a Detroit relocation. Others believe the PWHL's delay occurred due to a late stages change in the market(s) of choice. Often where there's smoke there's fire, but this may have been fog instead of smoke. Leading to much of the confusion was a PWHL general manager openly saying that the PWHL had informed them that expansion was happening and would be announced imminently. Meanwhile, three of the league's six general managers confirmed they had yet to hear anything about possible expansion.
Perhaps the delay means expansion won't be next season, but instead the year after. Or perhaps, the PWHL is getting their ducks in a row. The league will be intent on avoiding venue issues, and having another branding debacle like they saw with an initial wave of leaked trademarks. The league will want a venue in place, branding well underway, and more importantly in the eyes of the rest of the league, expansion draft rules finalized before, not after, announcing expansion. When that expansion announcement occurs, it will be full steam ahead, so perhaps the league has finally learned to plan first and act later, rather than the opposite.
A Note On Draft Eligibility
We saw the "Lina Ljungblom" rule come into force for the PWHL's second draft where contracted players could not declare, and were deemed ineligible for the PWHL Draft unless they had an opt out clause in place. This year's adaptation could be referred to as the "Abby Boreen" rule. Boreen's entry to the PWHL Draft after contributing in the league and winning a Walter Cup was...bizarre. Yes, her situation, much like other reserves who were students (eg. Claire Thompson), or removed themselves from the draft after being denied compassionate circumstances (eg. Melodie Daoust) was unique. But it cost the PWHL talented players like Daoust, who should have been in the league this season had they not been forced to enter the draft.
This year, any player who has appeared in the league, signed a standard player agreement, or signed a reserve roster spot, will not need to declare for the PWHL Draft, instead, they'll be free agents. Last year, this would have meant Abby Boreen and Claire Thompson would have hit the open market rather than being picked in the PWHL Draft.
This year it means Kassidy Sauve, Alexie Guay, Kaitlyn O'Donohoe, Kelly Ann Nadeau, Charlotte Akervick and others who went undrafted last year, but signed reserve contracts at one point or another, will not need to re-enter the draft. Instead, they will immediately become unrestricted free agents this offseason, which could benefit teams in their roster building efforts should expansion occur.
PWHL Draft Declarations Continue
The delay in a PWHL expansion announcement will cost the league a handful of players who will opt for security heading into an Olympic year. Soon however, it will run an even great risk. Top prospects including Abbey Murphy and Lacey Eden could declare this year. In the case of Murphy, the decision revolves around PWHL expansion. If she declares, Murphy is the consensus first overall pick. If she waits a year, the first overall pick is almost certainly Caroline Harvey with Murphy in the mix with Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms, and Tessa Janecke for the next spots. This year however, if expansion occurs, it could mean a significant opportunity for Murphy to be paid significantly more than rookies who entered the league last year, or those who enter next year. Why? An expansion team will need to reach the salary cap average, which next season will sit at $58,349.
Each existing team has six players on their roster, or more, making $80,000. Teams have multiple players making more than $100,000, with some earning significantly more. An expansion team would have the ability to lock in Murphy for three years at a top rate, avoiding an issue like Sarah Fillier faced where the first overall pick was allotted $50,000 a year, while players far below her skill level were gifted contracts more than double that rate the year before. Some of the more exciting rumoured draft declarations (no declarations will be confirmed by the PWHL until after the declaration period ends and the league can verify eligibility) include Michelle Karvinen, Anna Shokhina, and Sara Hjalmarsson, along with the anticipated NCAA cohort. We also know others like Viivi Vainikka will not declare.
What will next year's schedule look like?
Another item the league is working to figure out, is what will the 2025-26 PWHL schedule look like. The league knows they'll be shutting down in January for the Olympic Games. It seems highly unlikely the league will be willing to shut down in April for the World Championships as well. It's a driving factor behind what many believe is a PWHL-driven initiative to move the World Championship timing. The IIHF recently circulated four options for timing for the World Championships. They included keeping things the same, moving the start of Worlds to the end of April, which would still impact PWHL playoffs, shifting the Worlds to a preseason event in November, or moving them to January, which would mean no top division World Championship would occur in an Olympic year. The league has defended international participation from day one, so cancelling the World Championships every four years when the equivalent does not occur for men seems like the wrong move. Only time will tell on this one. An announcement could come near the conclusion of the 2025 Worlds when next year's host city is unveiled.