Toronto will now rely on collective scoring, defense and diverse player roles to forge a new competitive identity after expansion losses.
Not many teams in the PWHL experienced a deeper talent drain in the expansion draft than Toronto. Losing Sarah Nurse, Hannah Miller, Julia Gosling, and others stripped out both offensive production and established roles.
At the start of training camp, however, what was notable isn’t the losses — it’s the internal messaging. Toronto is not trying to replace a star with another star. They’re re-engineering roles, not re-creating names.
GM Gina Kingsbury was direct.
“There's no denying we lost a lot of offense and we lost some big pieces. I wouldn't be expecting Emma Gentry or Kiara Zanon to come in and fill those shoes, we have to find a way to collectively be able to offset the offense we have left on the table. And it's not a knock on them. It's just not fair for us to be expecting them to replace a Sarah Nurse or a Hannah Miller.
"But I think they bring elements to the game that we can build a puzzle around them. To be able to still create offense, in a different way than we have in the past. But I have a lot of confidence in our coaches that they'll be able to put this together and, still be very, very competitive."
From top-six model to distributed scoring
Captain Blayre Turnbull echoed the same philosophy.
“I think everyone knows we lost a lot of big players and big names in the expansion draft. I don't think anyone in our room, staff included, is expecting anyone to step up into those roles and fill those shoes. But I think as a team, we're going to have to figure that out.
"We're going to have to work through that problem, figure out–obviously our power play will now be missing a few key members with Nursey and Miller gone, but it's something that I'm really excited for, the opportunity that every player on our team now has to step up and show who they can be."
Rather than rebuild the Nurse–Miller line archetype, Toronto is building combinations around size and wall strength, north-south skating, smart defensive usage, versatile centers and specific roles players can fill. Maybe the top end looks lighter, but the depth might be stronger this season.
Defense and centers will carry more responsibility
A major element of this committee-based model is the D core. Toronto’s blue line is one of–or simply the deepest in the league, and their transition game will act as a scoring generator.
Renata Fast framed the adjustment this way:
“We lost some key components to the expansion draft. And there's no way we can replace those players because they're incredible players. But I think Gina and Troy did a really good job bringing in some other key pieces, and they will find their place on this team and we'll see who steps up into different roles.
"There's no doubt it will look a little bit different, but, yeah, it'll take a little bit for people to figure out where they fit into the lineup. And then I think we'll build the chemistry really quick from there."
Maltais shifting to center, Turnbull taking more offensive-zone starts, and Watts' continued impact all reflect a new phase of the team’s identity.
And don't underestimate the huge difference Ella Shelton makes on the blue line. She'll take on heavy minutes, keep the puck moving out of the Sceptres' end, and make life easier on the forwards.
Younger players hold the swing potential
Kiara Zanon, Emma Gentry, Clara Van Wieren, and other rookies have the profile to contribute — but not as replacements for Nurse or Miller. They’re profile-fit players: big, strong, competitive, good in board battles, opportunistic around the net, and have a high ceiling if they are developed in a supportive environment.
"I could tell right from the draft when we met with them afterwards that we had a pretty easy group, probably a low maintenance group. Just excited to be here. And then we followed up with some calls throughout the summer. I had the same kind of feeling," is how coach Troy Ryan put it.
"And I think that's in large part because of the leadership group that we have in our team that just make it easy for them to step in. So it just seems very, very chill, very low maintenance. And, they're just excited to get going."
Toronto’s coaching staff is focused less on “can you score 15 goals now?” and more on “can you help us win minutes on your line?”
Toronto’s internal bar hasn’t dropped
What’s striking is that despite the losses, the championship tone hasn’t changed. The expectation is still clear. This is where the committee model becomes strategic rather than reactive.
Toronto doesn’t need one player to score 25 goals. They need seven players to score eight or nine.
Building a new version of the Sceptres
Teams rarely find direct replacements for star departures. But teams who re-engineer their structure outperform those who try to plug holes with mismatched parts.
Toronto is choosing: system-driven offense, depth ahead of top-loaded scoring, physicality over finesse, and chemistry over pure numbers.
It may be a different team — but it’s not a weaker one. And if the committee model clicks, Toronto might be more unpredictable, more matchup-versatile, and harder to shut down than before.