The PWHL will open an exclusive signing window for their two expansion teams, PWHL Vancouver and PWHL Seattle, beginning June 4. 

When the window opens, Seattle and Vancouver will have the opportunity to negotiate with any unprotected players for the PWHL expansion draft, and will also be able to negotiate with players entering the offseason as free agents.

Each team will be able to sign a maximum of five players, but each signing will also count against their selections in the June 9 expansion draft.

The exclusive signing window will significantly impact the expansion draft, and could hinder the talent pool one of the expansion teams can choose from. The window allows unprotected players an opportunity to choose which expansion team they go to, and could also allow players to re-open their contracts negotiating raises or additional term.

It will be a storyline to follow seeing how many, if any, players each expansion team signs. The signings will reduce the player pool for the competing expansion team, and could activate additional protections for existing teams. 

Knowing the risks, Seattle and Vancouver will likely approach the exclusive window with caution, targeting only the top players on their lists that they'd hope to select with their first picks. Here's a look at who could be target by each PWHL expansion team during the exclusive signing window.

Seattle Targets: Muller, Bilka, and Barnes

It certainly hasn't always played out this way, but there has been a tendency for American teams to target more American players, and vice versa with Canadian teams. With Meghan Turner, former assistant general manager with the Boston Fleet hired as Seattle's general manager, it would not be surprising to see her initially target Boston's top available players. Assuming Boston protects Hilary Knight, Aerin Frankel, and Megan Keller, those initially exposed players could be Alina Muller and Hannah Bilka, Boston's 2023 and 2024 first round picks. Vancouver may also look to target one or both players due to the fact they are both elite offensive threats, and that the remainder of Boston's depth of available players will see a significant drop off following the first two picks/signings. 

Another likely target, assuming Montreal protects Marie-Philip Poulin, Ann-Renee Desbiens, and Laura Stacey, could be American defender Cayla Barnes. Barnes is from the West Coast growing up in California. Montreal might choose to protect the defender who played critical minutes for them and was their top offensive producer from the back end this season as well. 

This tier of players is likely where the expansion teams will focus their efforts during the exclusive signing window. If the players are beyond this top grouping, it makes sense for teams to target the top players with their first picks in the expansion draft.

Vancouver Targets: Thompson, Ambrose, Miller

Claire Thompson seems like a soon to be slam dunk heading to Vancouver. Not only will Minnesota be unable to protect the defender with Kendall Coyne Schofield, Taylor Heise, Lee Stecklein, and Sophie Jaques all likely ahead of her in that pecking order, but Vancouver's new general manager Cara Gardner Morey spent four seasons coaching Thompson at Princeton University. Adding a player like Thompson, who now brings not only World Championship and Olympic experience, but Walter Cup winning experience, is invaluable. 

Keeping with the blueline, Erin Ambrose is a player and person too good to pass on. She brings intangibles to the locker room and community, and the reigning PWHL Defender of the Year can play big minutes in all situations. She remains one of the top blueliners on the planet, and with Montreal unlikely to be able to protect one or both of Ambrose and Barnes, the opportunity for Vancouver to grab another Canadian national team member who can be an off and on-ice leader, makes sense.

Finally, there has been a lot of talk about Hannah Miller heading to Vancouver. She's a Vancouver product, but don't be so certain she joins Vancouver in the exclusive window? Why? Without signing Miller, Vancouver can freely choose from a separate group of players on Toronto's roster, and still sign Miller when league-wide free agency opens. Signing any player who is already a free agent reduces the roster building ability of the expansion teams. It could mean the difference between Vancouver having the likes of Emma Maltais, Julia Gosling, and Hannah Miller from Toronto, to the ability for the team to have Miller, and one of the others, or neither as it would prematurely activate Toronto's fourth protection. Will Miller end up in Vancouver? It's highly probable. Should either team sign an existing free agent in exchange for selecting fewer unprotected players? It makes little sense in the effort to maximize depth and competitiveness. Signing Miller in the exclusive window would be a surprising gaffe by either team.