Cayla Barnes discusses being selected by PWHL Montreal and heading to Canada for her first professional season. The opening day of PWHL free agency did not disappoint. Phones started ringing at 8:00am on the dot, and the fun didn't stop until late Friday evening. Here's a look at every move that happened, and some that didn't. DARYL WATTS CHOOSES TORONTO The biggest move of the day went to Daryl Watts choosing PWHL Toronto. Watts wasn't happy in Ottawa, one of the few players out there who would state that, and now she's heading back to where it all began as she played her minor hockey with the Toronto Aeros and Mississauga Chiefs, and last year won an Isobel Cup title with the PHF's Toronto Six. When the day opened it's believe five of the PWHL's six teams inquired about Watts. In the end, Watts chose Toronto. To do so, she had to turn down more money elsewhere, and she'll enter into stiff competition in Toronto's lineup for ice time. That said, Watts is now under the tutelage of Team Canada GM Gina Kingsbury and head coach Troy Ryan. Watts has wanted to rejoin Hockey Canada's mix since this past Fall, and Watts will get a chance to do that as she's among Canada's invitees to their summer evaluation. When it all came down to it, this turned out to be a three horse race between Montreal, Boston, and Toronto. Of course Ottawa made their bid as well, but Watts had made up her mind. The deal ended up being for two seasons. MRAZOVA RETURNS TO OTTAWA (EVEN IF IT ISN'T ANNOUNCED YET) Don't worry Ottawa fans, you're getting one of your stars back. Mrazova and Ottawa actually came to terms prior to the deadline on June 20. It's a two-year deal bringing Mrazova back to Ottawa. It will now be interesting to see who Ottawa brings in to fill the wing alongside Mrazova and Jenner. Tereza Vanisova and Anna Meixner will certainly audition for the spot. WOODS FIRST TO MOVE Emma Woods became the first player in PWHL history to move teams via free agency. She made the jump from New York to Toronto, where she won the 2023 Isobel Cup with the PHF's Toronto Six. Woods was also a recipient of an invite to Hockey Canada's national team summer evaluations, which means she'll get an early taste of playing for GM Gina Kingsbury and Troy Ryan. Toronto's forward depth is off the charts to a point where it's not clear where Woods fits in on the depth chart. PICKS BEGIN TO SIGN Cayla Barnes was the first member of the 2024 PWHL Draft class to ink a contract, and she made it worthwhile agreeing to a three year contract with Montreal. She was soon joined by Minnesota picks Britta Curl and Klara Hymlarova who signed two year deals. RE-SIGNING CONTINUES Several PWHL teams got into the action of re-signing players on the first day of free agency. PWHL Minnesota led the way with three extensions signing Liz Schepers and Michela Cava to one year deals, while adding another season to Denisa Krisova's contract, which already ran through next season. Boston brought back Lexie Adzija and Toronto re-signed Hannah Miller, while Abbey Levy signed again with New York to finalize their crease. BACKLOADED DEALS BECOMING POPULAR When every team in the league has nearly the same amount, and a limited amount of money to offer for next season, how do you lure a free agent to sign? PWHL teams have started looking at their future space by backloading contracts with higher salaries each season extending well beyond the 3% league average increase. Teams know who they have coming off the books next season from the initial two-year deals, and a significant pocket of money can come free following year three as the six highest paid players on each team will become free agents. To keep your top players, or attract another player to move teams, this method of promising financial payoff in the coming seasons, even if it's tied to a low salary next year, has become a common tactic. WHAT WILL DAY TWO BRING? The easiest answer is that we can expect more draft picks to be announced in the coming days. Only one player from each of the first three rounds has signed thus far, meaning there are 15 players from those rounds looking to get deals done. There's also a chance we could see teams looking at undrafted players to bring in. Some of the veterans like Laura Kluge or goaltender Klara Peslarova might get calls to fill a depth spot. While GMs may also look to get the jump on training camp invitations by talking to players the don't intend to sign now, but would like to keep in the mix. Finally there are still a block of quality PWHL veteran free agents who will likely be in conversations across the league this week. The top names remaining include Mellissa Channell, Claire Dalton, Kaleigh Fratkin, Gabrielle David, Mikyla-Grant Mentis, Jillian Dempsey, Rebecca Leslie, Catherine Daoust, Madison Packer, Amanda Pelkey, Sarah Bujold, Sarah Lefort, Catherine Dubois, Taylor Wenczkowski, Emma Greco, Madison Bizal, Paeytn Levis, Shiann Darkangelo, Gigi Marvin, Kayla Vespa, Sandra Abstreiter, Taylor Baker, Akane Shiga, Leah Lum, and Ann-Sophie Bettez.
