Three Free Agency Targets For Each PWHL Team

With free agency underway, here are three players each PWHL franchise could be targeting and already in negotiations with.

Free agency for the PWHL is underway, albeit with a slow start as teams and general managers work to meet and negotiate with players, navigate salary and the CBA, and plan not only for free agency, but the draft.

With the draft the only opportunity to take NCAA and USports graduates, it seems that the initial free agency will be used to secure veteran talent. Looking at a mix of professional, geographic, and NCAA allegiances for players, as well as age and position, here's a look at three targets for each of the PWHL's six franchises.

Alex Carpenter is as Boston as it gets. She combines the NCAA, professional, and familial ties, and is the type of veteran scoring talent teams will look to lock in. To diversify who they're bringing in, Megan Keller will be one of the true top pairing defenders this year who will contribute both offensively and in a shut down role. She played her NCAA hockey at Boston College, and will be a target for each American team during the free agency period. While netminders won't be the top priority in free agency, it would make sense the top 2-3 in the World will be fielding calls. Aerin Frankel is a Northeastern product and Team USA's starter. Not only that, but at 24-years-old, Frankel can be the goalie of the present and future for a franchise. Wildcard to watch: Loren Gabel is a Patty Kazmaier winner, PHF MVP, and proven international scorer. There is almost no one in the world who can shoot like Gabel. When goal scoring is at a premium, the former Boston Pride forward is a sleeper signing that could pay dividends.

Marie-Philip Poulin, MPP, Captain Clutch. If you could sign all three of these identities you would, but luckily for Montreal, they're getting the undisputed best player on the planet wrapped in one, and there's no indication Poulin would consider going anywhere else. She'll bring the star power, and the scoring, and Poulin is the type of player who will likely defy age five years from now and continue producing. Ann-Renee Desbiens is a likely candidate to be signed during free agency rather than waiting for the draft in net. She's been Canada's go to starter for years, and although she looked human in the gold medal game this year, she looked superhuman at times in the PWHPA season. She's a bonafide starter in this league, and that's worth the signing. Luckily for Montreal, Poulin and Laura Stacey may come as a package deal as the newly engaged couple are one of the most powerful pairings in the game. Stacey adds size and power forward prowess that across a professional season will shine through more than it does with Canada's national team. She's also the exact type of leader and character player any community would be lucky to have. Wildcard to watch: This could go any direction in Montreal from a veteran like Ann-Sophie Bettez, to a rising star like Elizabeth Giguere. That said, few should forget the dominance of Melodie Daoust, stifled only by an injury in international competition. On a per game basis, few Canadian players have scored like Daoust in the last decade, and she's tied to Montreal.

If there's any city where the geographic depth is astronomical, it's Toronto. There's so much national team and professional star power in the city, that many will be displaced when the draft rolls around. Sarah Nurse should be the first target for the team considering her scoring ability, community involvement, and age. Moving beyond Nurse, Brianne Jenner and Natalie Spooner are the next duo that could provide the best top line in the league for the next few seasons. While that seems ideal, Toronto would be wise to look outside of either Jenner or Spooner to bring in a defender. This is where that depth discussion gets tricky. Toronto would be luck to land Renata Fast or Erin Ambrose in this position, and to ensure they have a true top pairing defender who can carry them for the next five years, either player, who are both shy of 30, would be a coup. With how many players they have in the city, there's no need for a wildcard in Toronto. If there's a wildcard, it's what to do with the number two pick. Toronto knows they could have Alina Muller or Taylor Heise up front. They also know they could take Toronto products Sophie Jacques, Emma Maltais, or perhaps Claire Thompson. Their options are endless.

Ottawa has come out of the gate with impressive hype and a budding fandom for the PWHL's new team. The city also has a unique opportunity to build an identity around their lone local star, Jamie Lee Rattray. Are there 'better' players available, perhaps. If you were in attendance at the World Championships this year however, you'd have noticed that Team Canada needed more Jamie Lee Rattray. Every time she stepped on the ice, her tenacious style and energy was evident, and she created opportunities. To tie into that, Ottawa could target Canada's other secret weapons in Blarye Turnbull and Emily Clark. Immediately no team would have better two-way capabilities up front, and no team would enter the draft forcing others to consider that they'd not only be fast and skilled, but extremely difficult to play against. If Ottawa were looking at their blueline, they could target either Ambrose or Fast, or they could look outside of Canada's borders and attempt to sign a veteran like Savannah Harmon who has ties to the Montreal area, but might not get the security the French Canadian players have in the city. Claire Thompson would be another excellent fit.

When you know you can draft Taylor Heise or Alina Muller first overall, and likely pick up another young talent, perhaps a player like Grace Zumwinkle in the second or third round, you can look at other positions and roles in free agency. Minnesota native Lee Stecklein would provide top pairing security now and into the future, and the team could also lock in a future Hockey Hall of Famer in netminder Noora Raty who lives in Minnesota. She's the best active goalie on the planet, and although she's aging, the depth of young netminders coming up gives Minnesota a few seasons to worry about the next wave, but without stress. Finally, if there's an American born players teams will be fighting over in free agency, it's Abby Roque. She's a pest, and physical. She scores and is a fan favorite. Minnesota would be lucky to lock her in to help with the heavy lifting alongside whichever generational talent they select with the first pick. Wildcard to watch: It's presumed Amanda Kessel will try to stay in the east closer to her new job with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but she's a Minnesota legend at the NCAA level, and the right offer could reunite her with the state of hockey.

It's hard to know what New York will do in free agency as they're outside the typical NCAA and youth geographics that give other markets a leg up. The city will also present a potential cost of living issue for players. But the city loves a show, and that's why bringing in big veteran names, regardless of age might give New York something worth watching. While Hilary Knight's time in the league, and effectiveness based on her last year in the PWHPA might be less than it was a few seasons ago, she is undeniably one of the biggest stars in women's hockey, and is a personality that would bask in the spotlight of the Big Apple. Bringing along her running mate from recent gold medal American teams Amanda Kessel would be logical for a number of reasons. First, it's more star power, but second, Kessel will likely want to stay near Pittsburgh. Looking at a third veteran star, people should not forget or overlook Susana Tapani. Alongside Knight, the two would provide size and a physical presence few teams could muster, and she was scheduled to play with the Metropolitan Riveters, meaning she's already shown an interest in the city. Wildcard to watch: Kennedy Marchment is a former PHF MVP, and she's proven she can consistently score over professional seasons. While international success is something many will focus on, the professional game will be different, and Marchment is poised to continue her contributions on the ice.