Nicole Gosling and Erin Ambrose both landed significantly improved contracts with expansion teams, leaving the Walter Cup champions with major holes to fill. Here’s why Montreal let them go, and which players should be next on the Victoire’s protection list.
Phase 3 of the expansion process begins today, and the Montreal Victoire did not emerge unscathed from the previous phase.
The Walter Cup champions lost three key pieces: Rookie of the Year finalist Nicole Gosling, 2024 Defender of the Year Erin Ambrose, and Olympic gold medallist Hayley Scamurra.
Much like last year, Montreal is losing two defenders and forward depth, although this year’s departures are older and more established than the group that left for Vancouver and Seattle in 2025, when Jennifer Gardiner, Abby Boreen, Anna Wilgren and Cayla Barnes all departed.
Gosling Doubling Her Salary
Gosling’s departure was expected.
At $50,000 — the minimum salary for a first-round pick — she was always a prime candidate to receive a significantly richer offer elsewhere.
The Hockey News has learned that Gosling, who signed a three-year contract with Hamilton, will earn $100,000 next season, exactly double what she made in Montreal.
Having signed a three-year deal with the Victoire in October 2025, Gosling was unlikely to approach six figures anytime soon with veterans such as Ann-Renée Desbiens, Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey already occupying major cap space.
Hayley Scamurra’s move to Las Vegas was another one that seemed predictable. Las Vegas GM Dominique DiDia previously represented Scamurra as her agent.
Arguably Danièle Sauvageau’s best free-agent acquisition last summer, Scamurra enjoyed a career season with 16 points in 30 games, surpassing the 13 points she recorded in 49 combined games during her first two PWHL seasons in Ottawa and Toronto.
Galvanized by her Olympic gold medal in Italy, she collected 10 of those points after the international break, including a memorable three-goal performance — all at 6-on-5 — against Vancouver late in the season. She also scored the game-winning goal in Game 3 against Minnesota.
Ambrose to Vegas: A Business Decision
Erin Ambrose’s move appeared more surprising on the surface.
She has said it repeatedly: Montreal became a second home for her. She has played in the city since 2017, first with Les Canadiennes, then with the PWHPA Montreal chapter, and finally for three seasons with the Victoire.
Selected in the first round of the inaugural PWHL Draft in 2023, she was not officially one of Montreal’s three franchise players, but she was probably the closest thing to one.
So why leave Montreal?
My initial reaction was that money played a major role. It turns out that was the case.
According to what THN has learned, Ambrose, who signed a two-year contract with Las Vegas, will earn $108,000 next season, a substantial raise from the $84,872 she made last year.
It’s a raise Montreal likely couldn’t — and arguably shouldn’t — have matched.
Ambrose recently turned 32. That’s not old by hockey standards, but there have been signs of decline, particularly offensively.
She remains a reliable defender, a respected veteran and an important member of any leadership group. Those qualities made her valuable in Montreal.
Still, her offensive production has steadily declined since the league’s inaugural season.
When she won Defender of the Year in 2024, Ambrose recorded 18 points in 24 games, second among all PWHL defenders.
That dropped to 13 points in 28 games the following season, ranking eighth among blue-liners. Last season, she managed just six points in 21 games.
Yes, she suffered an injury at the Olympics and missed nine games. Even before the injury, however, she was on pace for fewer than 10 points.
Her last goal, including playoffs, came on April 20, 2024, when Montreal faced Toronto in the first-ever PWHL game at the Bell Centre.
She had already lost her spot on the top power-play unit to Gosling, making a significant raise difficult to justify.
Leaving Her Home Away From Home
At Montreal’s end-of-season media availability, she seemed noticeably less emotional than she had been a year earlier. When asked about it, she noted that players had more control over their futures this time around.
In Las Vegas, where the team has already added young defenders Mae Batherson and Kendall Cooper, Ambrose can become the veteran presence on a growing blue line.
Is she worth $108,000? Probably not. But DiDia had ground to make up. While Hamilton already had five players under contract, Las Vegas had only two.
From Montreal’s perspective, I would have gladly kept Ambrose at $80,000, especially knowing Gosling was likely leaving.
But it’s easy to understand why Ambrose accepted two years at more than $100,000 annually.
I also wonder how much her recent switch to 3rd Generation Sports influenced the outcome.
“Montreal, where to begin. You have become a home away from home and a place that has embraced me for everything I am,” Ambrose posted on her Instagram account.
“Playing in front of the fans in every home game, whether at Verdun auditorium, Place Bell or the Bell Centre - was an absolute honour. They always say Montreal is the heart of hockey, and I was truly grateful to experience it for myself.”
“Being able to represent this city, the team, and be cheered on by the fans for the last three years is something I will cherish for years to come.”
“Daniele, Kori and all of the Victoire staff, thank you. You took a chance on me in the inaugural draft, allowed me to be myself and trusted me throughout the years.”
“To my teammates, we are champions together, forever. The laughs, the road trips and all of the craziness is what truly made these last three seasons so special. Wearing the Victoire logo alongside all of you meant the world to me and the friendships we have made will last a lifetime.”
“JE T’AIME MONTREAL & MERCI”
Abby Roque Is The Priority
The next question is who Montreal will protect.
The protection of Poulin, Desbiens and Stacey was expected. The next three spots are where things become interesting.
The team announced Wednesday evening that defender Maggie Flaherty has signed a two-year contract and has been added to its protected list.
It felt like an obvious choice to me. Flaherty proved her value throughout the season and especially during the playoffs. She is one of the league’s premier shot blockers, and her offensive contributions became an important part of Montreal’s Walter Cup run.
She scored three playoff goals, including the Game 2 winner against Ottawa.
Other than that, Roque should be Montreal’s top priority.
With expansion teams limited to signing free agents during Phase 3, the Victoire need to secure Roque before it’s too late.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Roque is willing to leave some money on the table to stay in Montreal. She hinted as much during the team’s end-of-season media availability, discussing the value of playing for an established fourth-year franchise rather than an expansion team.
That said, some around the league believe Poulin’s uncertain status for next season could strengthen Roque’s negotiating position.
Montreal has never been known for spending recklessly, so this negotiation will be fascinating to watch, as Roque earned $116,000 last season.
With Gosling and Ambrose gone, Montreal has very few proven alternatives on the blue line.
Protecting Kati Tabin, who remains under contract for another season, feels like an easy decision.
Could Montreal instead choose Natalie Mlynkova or Nadia Mattivi? Absolutely.
But I believe Roque and Tabin will join Flaherty and remain the most likely choices.
Who Else Could Leave?
Montreal has already lost two players under contract and one free agent.
That means the Victoire can still lose two more players under contract.
During Phase 3, expansion teams can sign up to three players without contracts.
Among the players Montreal could lose are Roque, Flaherty, Mattivi and Maureen Murphy.
In Phase 4, expansion teams must build their rosters up to 10 players. They can either sign players who were not on their original 20-player negotiation list or wait for the Expansion Roster Completion process, which essentially functions as a draft.
That is when Montreal could lose unprotected players under contract such as Tabin, Mlynkova, Lina Ljungblom and Jessica DiGirolamo.
If I had to guess, Mattivi, Mlynkova and Ljungblom would be the most likely candidates to join an expansion team, either through one of the two next phases, or the roster completion process.