According to recent reports, PWHL expansion to Washington, DC is unlikely unless the league is willing to change their ownership model, which right now is single entity under Mark Walter. DC wants a team, but DC also wants to own that team.
Washington, DC wants more of the PWHL. In fact they'd like their own team, but the key word there is "own."
According to a recent report from WTOP News' Ben Raby, Washington, DC, with renovations occurring to Capital One Arena, and the inability for local stakeholders to have ownership of a franchise, it's unlikely Washington, DC will have their own PWHL team this season.
As Ted Leonsis, owner of the NHL's Washington Capitals and Capital One Arena said, the timing may not be right.
“We have a couple more years of renovations, so it’s very difficult right now to speak with certainty about expansion and what they’re doing along our timetable,” he told WTOP News.
Washington set an American attendance record this season drawing 17,228 to Capital One Arena, a mark later eclipsed when the PWHL sold out New York's Madison Square Garden this season. According to Leonis, Washington wants more PWHL Takeover Tour games, as many as two next season and three the year after to continue to build momentum.
That timeline puts Washington in the mix for the PWHL's next wave of expansion. The league has alluded to the fact they'll slow down expansion following the two teams added last season, and four expected to join for next season in order to allow the fan base and player pool to settle. After that, it would not be shocking to see the league target another large expansion to bring the PWHL to 16 teams by the conclusion of their current collective bargaining agreement in 2031.
But even that could depend on ownership. Currently the PWHL is a single entity ownership group with all nine teams, including the recently announced expansion team for Detroit, owned by the Mark Walter Group.
Ownership of teams has been a sticking point for other markets causing them to drop out, or the PWHL to walk away. In particular this has been the case in NHL controlled markets and venues.
There is no timeline, or even guarantee the PWHL will ever move away from their model. But until then, according to Raby's communication with Washington's ownership group, it's unlikely that DC will be in on PWHL expansion.
"...Monumental has interest in hosting future neutral-site PWHL games and is open to exploring opportunities to bring a team to Washington, D.C., if there were flexibility in the ownership structure," the group stated.
Until then, expect Washington to become a more regular participant in the PWHL Takeover Tour, but not an actively engaged market in expansion talks.