After Alex Carpenter became the first protected player for the Seattle Torrent, it seemed unlikely that another top star would be protected. More specifically, it seemed unlikely that the team would protect both Carpenter and Hilary Knight. There was little consensus among both fans and media alike on who the other two protected players might be, but they were revealed today as goaltender Hannah Murphy, and defender Anna Wilgren.

Murphy, a rookie in her first year with the Torrent, played 12 games and was between the pipes for four wins and eight losses. She had 34 goals against and a goals against average of 2.87. She saw a total of 371 shots against and had 337 saves. Her save percentage for the season was 0.908. Murphy even had an assist on a goal by Danielle Serdachny against New York in December.

Goalies have been a big topic of discussion this offseason with a lot of teams protecting their goalies. In Murphy’s case, she performed well this last season, especially as a rookie, and, with a three-year agreement, can be a franchise goalie for the Torrent moving forward. From a fan standpoint, she was definitely a quick favorite garnering the first player chants at Climate Pledge Arena for the Torrent.

This protection makes sense and, with the goalie market as it is, it’s a smart move. Murphy had such glimpses of greatness this past season and has huge potential to really grow and develop as a solid goaltender. This is especially true if the Torrent can get the blue line truly clicking and aggressively blocking as they have stated they would like to have as part of their identity.

Wilgren played all 30 games this season and three goals and seven assists for a total of ten points. She blocked 40 shots and took 52 shots on net. Wilgren also had three shoot-out attempts and was able to hit the back of the net on one of those. She had the game-winning-goal in the penultimate game for the Torrent in April against the Frost when she was also awarded the first star of the game.

Throughout the season, she was consistently impressive. The team’s goalies stated that she had the hardest shot on the team and fans were lucky enough to see it, and hear it, often. There were several games when she had three or more shot attempts and it was rare she registered zero in a game. She also was key to keeping games tied or at least keeping them from getting too far out of hand for the Torrent.

With Carpenter, Wilgren, and Murphy protected, it almost raised more questions than answers. That means Knight, Hannah Bilka, Danielle Serdachny, Julie Gosling, and Cayla Barnes, to name a few, are not secured. Knight has expressed a strong desire to stay in Seattle and fans hope to see that happen. Perhaps that’s why she wasn’t protected, she really feels strongly about her place here.

It would be a real loss to the Torrent to lose young talent like another Olympian in Bilka. She was injured during the Olympic games, but in her 14 games with Seattle, she had four goals and five assists. Another player starting to come into her own, Gosling was at the top of the stats for the team tied with Carpenter for 20 points comprised of six goals and 14 assists. It’s a bit surprising the team wouldn’t protect at least one of these two.

While these moves may have been unexpected, there is a lot more to come in this offseason. Phase 2 of the player distribution process begins June 5 and extends through June 8. This will be when the expansion teams acquire five players through signings and a player selection process, if necessary.

These four expansion teams will each have one Expansion Foundational Offer which will let them pursue a player they believe can be a cornerstone to their team. They will be able to offer a multi-year contract ranging from one to four years. The eight existing teams can lose up to three players in this second phase.