The Clock Is Ticking On A Deal For Sarah Fillier

Sarah Fillier, the top pick from the 2024 PWHL Draft, remains unsigned with less than a month remaining before training camp. She's the only player from the top 15 picks unsigned, and the clock is ticking.

PWHL teams report for training camp in less than a month, but a large number of those players will enter training camp unsigned and looking for a contract. Among those players is 2024 PWHL Draft first overall pick Sarah Fillier. 

Fillier, who was the top pick of the New York Sirens, is the only player selected in the top 15 picks of the 2024 draft who has yet to sign.

It's not clear what the main sticking point in this negotiation is for Fillier's team. With finances significantly restricted until after the 2025-2026 season when the initial guaranteed three-year contracts expire, there is little-to-no wiggle room for a significant financial payday for Fillier for at least two more seasons. The salary for each of the PWHL's six teams are significantly tied to the six players each team was required to sign to three-year contracts of at least $80,000 per season. Many players however, are making well over $100,000, some upwards of $150,000 per season, which has left most players in the league making below $40,000 a year, and highly skilled incoming players like Fillier without money available to be paid like their peers.

Term, however, is a point that can be discussed, and is certainly the most challenging aspect of this negotiation. Although a one-year contract is possible, it would not make Fillier an unrestricted free agent after the year. According to the PWHL, a newly implemented rule keeps all draft pick rights tied to the team who selected them for at least two years. Other members of the first round including second overall pick Danielle Serdachny, and the fourth and fifth overall picks Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes all signed three-year deals, while Julia Gosling and Claire Thompson signed two-year deals. Looking at other players represented by 3G Sports Ltd, Fillier's agency, it stands to reason Fillier is looking for a two-year deal as Megan Carter, Jennifer Gardiner, Gwyneth Philips, and Izzy Daniel all inked two-year deals. 

Any report that has come out of New York from draft day onward has included New York Sirens general manager Pascal Daoust stating he is confident that Fillier will be signed and a member of the Sirens this season, and that the organization is thrilled to have Fillier as a member of their organization. If you were to talk to 3G, you'd hear a similar message that they want Fillier on the ice in time for the start of the season.

Talks have been ongoing and continue. A lull in talks took place this summer as clarification on issues in the negotiation were sought from the PWHL. The sides however, don't appear close to a deal.

If you look beyond Fillier, the next highest unsigned pick is Ally Simpson who went 16th overall to New York. 19th overall pick Gabby Rosenthal, who was selected by New York is another unsigned player. Both Simpson and Rosenthal are also represented by 3G Sports Ltd, meaning there is a potential domino effect where Fillier's contract could impact Simpson, and Rosenthal. It's likely the lack of a contract for this trio has also impacted New York's ability to sign Elle Hertje and Emmy Fecteau, their other forwards chosen at the draft.

It's possible, but unlikely. At some point, it's Fillier herself may need to step in to ensure this deal gets done. Not only will Fillier look to join the PWHL this season and make an immediate impact, but it's a crucial season for national team development and selections as Canada looks to build their roster toward the 2026 Olympics in Italy. Unlike a league like the NHL, holding out is unlikely to become a strategy in the PWHL because team's do not have the ability to shed salary, assign players to an affiliate, buy out a contract, or to make a trade that will benefit cap space. The issue is complex as neither 3G, Fillier, nor the New York Sirens have any control over the collective agreement negotiated that significantly restricted salaries for incoming players, or for existing players in the league to earn raises.

Fillier is already a well sponsored player, but at some point, Fillier will begin missing out on endorsement and off-ice opportunities until her contract is resolved. For the league, this situation is one to be monitored closely, and one they'd certainly have preferred to avoid as Fillier represents the biggest name player to join the league. The league put in minimum salary levels for players picked in the first three rounds of the draft as an amendment to the collective agreement prior to the 2024 PWHL Draft, but given those salary tiers ate up almost all of the remaining cap space teams had. Incoming rookies like Fillier will see dozens of now second year players who joined the league last season out of the NCAA out-earning them now, and into the coming seasons. Re-opening the collective agreement to find ways to pay players more equitably could be a solution, but PWHL advisory board member Stan Kasten stated multiple times during the inaugural season that the league has no intent to re-open an agreement they just signed. The NWSL however, re-opened their CBA recently re-negotiating sweeping changes that will alter the landscape of professional soccer for women for generations. The NWSL decision could put pressure on the PWHL to open discussions sooner than later with the PWHLPA to make needed changes to fairly compensate and protect players.

Sarah Fillier is the biggest name to join the PWHL this season, and her presence with the New York Sirens, only a short drive from her alma mater at Princeton, will be significant boost for a the lone PWHL market that struggled to develop a fan base in yer one. With only weeks remaining until teams hit the ice however, the clock is ticking on a deal for Sarah Fillier.