With the PWHL expansion process now complete, and the dust just beginning to settle, general managers and players are looking at the wreckage left. The result is that every PWHL team including Seattle and Vancouver are ready to aggressively enter free agency and the draft.
Phones are ringing already and the competition for free agents will be fierce. In particular, defenders across the league are at a premium and will drive premiums up. Scoring forwards will be nearly impossible to replace as well, meaning the top forwards on the market have all the leverage they need to command raises in free agency.
Right now, teams are feverishly working to attract any player they can not just to help their roster, but to simply fill their roster.
Here's a look at what we're hearing across the league.
What's next for Vancouver?
Cara Gardner Morey was pretty clear about her next step. She wants to add top six forwards, plural. Hannah Miller feels like a deal that's going to happen bringing her home to Vancouver, but she might not be alone. It wouldn't be surprising to see them swing at Jesse Compher, another player who fits their current identity and had chemistry with Miller. Expect Gardner Morey to use her Princeton ties to attempt to bring in Mariah Keopple who would make a logical partner to one of their offensively minded defenders, and perhaps Maggie Connors from Toronto. It wouldn't be surprising to see Gardner Morey attempt to bring in Rylind MacKinnon for another hometown player to help round out her blueline as well. While Seattle will likely be more conservative in free agency, Vancouver is going to enter with guns blazing.
Vanisova Getting Calls
While a return to Ottawa remains most likely with Tereza Vanisova, she has interest. The team most tied to that interest is Boston. The Fleet lost almost all of their scoring punch. It's believed they'll be able to bring back Susanna Tapani, but Boston will need wingers to play alongside skilled players like Alina Muller and Tapani. Vansiova would help replace the loss of Hannah Bilka and Hilary Knight, partially but not completely.
Trade Talk In New York?
While free agency will be the focus, some teams were left with more forwards, others with more defenders, and it could result in trades between those teams with newly mismatched balances in their rosters.
The New York Sirens are rumoured to be shopping, a point which general manager Pascal Daoust alluded to several times during his post expansion press conference. Daoust is the only general manager in the league with six defenders on his roster, a position as previously mentioned, is a need across the league. New York will be open to calls about their six defenders, but they'll also be open to calls about certain members of their forward group. New York isn't done yet. If you were looking at potential trade partners, Ottawa and Minnesota make sense as both are looking for defenders, and there'd certainly be interest in Jaime Bourbonnais heading to Ottawa at some point. Boston could similarly be interested in making a deal with New York, but it would more likely be for either Noora Tulus to play her alongside Tapani, or for a player like Abby Roque.
Players Likely To Leave
Jincy Roese is on her way out of Ottawa despite the Charge's need for blueliners. Roese reportedly has been looking for a chance. The rumour is Roese wants to play for the New York Sirens. The problem is that New York's blueline depth is already at a point where they don't need to add a defender, particularly one of Roese's stature. If New York can do a deal to trade a blueliner, Roese is the easy replacement.
While a lot can change as offers begin going out, it's believe Michela Cava is on her way out of Minnesota in free agency. She's a player who will be targeted by pretty much every team in the league, but it would not be surprising to see her heading a Canadian market this season.
Due to strong ties to specific markets that range from going closer to home, former coaches and GMs, and partners playing for different teams, there's another group of players who many expect to be on the move. Dominika Laskova helping to fill Ottawa's blueline makes sense with Carla MacLeod in town. Jade Downie Landry is a forward Montreal might look at, as is Elizabeth Giguere. Both are Quebec products who have spent summers training with many Victoire players. With their forward openings, Boston attempting to re-unite Chloe Aurard with Alina Muller is an experiment that seems worthwhile.
Who Is Staying?
Almost no one is certain to stay. If there were a safe bet in this category, Natalie Spooner is likely to stay in Toronto to finish her career whether it's one season or five. Kali Flanagan is going to be hotly pursued and field offers from across the league, including perhaps from her hometown team the Boston Fleet, but paired with Allie Munroe, there was some belief that if Munroe were selected in expansion that Flanagan would follow, so it's possible she's staying in Toronto as well. Montreal likely has the odds on when it comes to re-signing many of their top free agents whether it's Catherine Dubois or Alexandra Labelle. Minnesota will probably retain some of their depth like Brooke Bryant and Liz Schepers.
