Before I tell you the winners and losers, I wanted to give a shout-out to Anna Hudak and her Prism Hockey Newsletter. She compiled all the free agency signings, which made writing a breakdown of the free agency signing period easy to digest. Your writing has inspired my Ice-Capades newsletter, and I look forward to seeing your future writing on hockey and politics.
And now, the winners and losers of PWHL Free Agency. I still don’t know who’s exactly on my Victoire team, but then again, fans of the other seven teams most likely feel the same. Despite the vague nature of free agency, here are some definitive takeaways.
Winner: Korie Cheverie
The coach of the Montreal Victoire (and winner of the Coach of the Year award) keeps her job for another year. Why? Because the Victoire front office had the smarts to protect their three stars in Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacy, and Ann-Renee Desbiens. Those three players (plus an amazing supporting cast like Erin Ambrose, Cayla Barnes, sadly departing to Seattle, and Anna Wilgren) have carried her to the heights of women’s hockey immortality. Thank goodness the Victoire also got Abby Roque from the Sirens and Shiann Darkangelo from the Charge. Now the question is: can the Victoire win more than one playoff game? I swear if I DO NOT see Poulin raise a Walter Cup, I will be severely displeased.1
Loser: The Sirens
I just heard sad wee woos all the way from the New York metropolitan area. All their players from the original PWHL New York/New York Sirens team have gone elsewhere. Iconic captain Abby Roque went to Montreal, where the probability of Michigan’s will increase one thousandfold. Abby Levy went to their rival in Boston. Ella Shelton traveled to Toronto. While yes, Sirens GM Pascal Daoust had to rebuild, but did he really have to trade away all their stars? The ones who created the wee-woo tradition that made Sirens games so much fun, even as a fan who rooted for the rival Victoire? And look, I know Casey O’Brien has an amazing upside, but are they going to sign Sarah Fillier? Daoust? Buehler? Anyone? Want to do something to lock up your star power? Or are you going to watch as yet another homegrown star goes elsewhere?
Winner(s): Cara Gardner Morey and Meghan Turner
The Vancouver-Philadelphia exchange goes both ways. The Flyers get a coach from Vancouver, and Vancouver gets a coach from Philadelphia as their GM. Okay, Princeton, New Jersey, but that’s a train ride away from Philly, so it counts. Gardner-Morey turned her team from exciting to exhilarating. Signing PWHL stars like Sarah Nurse, Tereza Vanisova, and an amazing goaltending tandem in Emerance Maschmeyer and Kristen Campbell.
The same goes for Seattle GM Meghan Turner. She competed with Gardner Morey, by adding current US women’s hockey icon Hillary Knight, Danielle Serdacny, Alex Carpenter, and the amazing Cayla Barnes, an undersized but dynamic defender that I feel fortunate to have watched when the Sirens played the Victoire. She also added a just as formidable goalie in Corinne Schroeder, whose play will definitely improve with an actual defense in front of her. Getting a young goaltender in Hannah Murphy, whom Schroeder can mentor, does not hurt as well. I’m sure that I and other PWHL fans cannot wait to see both teams perform. And speaking of the Original Six teams…
Loser: Fans of the Original 6 teams
The moment the two super teams coalesced in the west, the cries of rigging from fans of teams not named PWHL Seattle and Vancouver rang throughout the void we call the Internet. This griping came not only from Reddit but even got acknowledged by The Athletic’s PWHL coverage. Take this quote from the aforementioned newspaper doling out winners and losers in a similar vein to the article you’re currently perusing through, “The PWHL was determined to help its newest franchises stock themselves as well as they could with rules that heavily favored the expansion teams over its original six franchises.” (Hailey Salvian, The Athletic). All six teams lost dynamic players, from Cayla Barnes to Hillary Knight (more on her former team in a bit). They will be sorely missed
Why yes, I do hate that PWHL Vancouver and PWHL Seattle got a great deal of the PWHL stars, but let’s remember that anything can happen in the regular season and playoffs. While both teams look good on paper, they have yet to face regular-season action. Examples like last year’s Nashville Predators show the dangers of overhyping a team only for them to fall short. Same in the PWHL for the Victoire, who lost to the Ottawa Charge, a team they picked to play against in Round One, and who barely squeaked in to a playoff spot. Why yes, I am totally over the 2025 Walter Cup Playoffs. Why yes, I do put that loss in the same category as the Phillies’ 2024 NLDS loss. No, do not ask me to talk about either loss in depth.
But in all seriousness, yet another loser in PWHL expansion is….
Loser: The Boston Fleet
Hilary Knight went to Seattle, marking the second time this year a captain for a Boston hockey team left (or in the case of Brad Marchand, got traded). The losses just kept coming: defender Emma Greco to PWHL Vancouver, Lexie Adzija to PWHL Seattle, Sidney Morin to the Frost, Jessica DiGirolamo to the Victoire, and goalie Klara Peslarova to the Czech women’s hockey leagues so she can get more consistent playing time ahead of the 2026 Olympics. The last move makes sense given how elite a goaltender Frankel is and how she got sidelined to a third backup role instead of a part of their tandem. Regardless, the coup de resistance in Fleet reduction was the loss of coach Courtney Kessel to coach Princeton’s women’s hockey program. I would like to sincerely wish good luck to her in helping them get to the Frozen Four (NCAA Women’s Hockey Championship) and preventing the double-headed beast of Wisconsin and Ohio State women’s hockey dominance.
Boston hockey fans must feel sick to their stomach. The glory days of Boston hockey superiority have whined out the locker room door. You can watch as many highlights as you want, but the truth is, it will be a long road back to some form of relevancy. At least the Fleet had the sense to use a protection slot on the Green Monster ( goalie Aerin Frankel), so they may not be as horrible as the Bruins. There will be some solace, alongside watching Hilary Knight in the IIHF Women’s Worlds. At least you signed a competent tandem mate in Abby Levy to learn alongside the Green Monster. Encouraging sign, but you've got to find a coach2.
Winner: Frost
The defending champions kept most of their core together with critical protections of captain Kendall Coyne Schofield and goaltender Maddie Rooney. Both have been key parts of their back-to-back Walter Cup wins. I will not act surprised when they threepeat and we all get to see Britta Curl raise a Walter Cup again. That is all.
Winner: PWHL Growth
PWHL Vancouver AND Seattle have sold out their season ticket memberships, which is an important marker in having a consistent fanbase that buys tickets, jerseys, and the other items one can purchase at hockey stadiums. It doesn’t hurt that both teams have some genuine superstars that both West Coast fanbases will love to watch. This is an absolute win for fans of women’s hockey, and in particular for those rooting for the league’s survival. Many women’s hockey leagues have come and gone, and having a consistent women’s hockey league has done nothing but increase the sport’s reach. The marketing by the PWHL alongside their Takeover Tour, which not only lets PWHL teams travel outside of the East Coast and Midwest but also gives empirical data as to which fanbases would support a women’s hockey league, has aided the league in its desire for longevity. I, for one, am excited to see a professional women’s hockey league not only grow, but also thrive. Here’s to more great players, iconic moments, and playoff overtime3!!!
Next season will be interesting for both the PWHL original 6 and the two expansion teams. Will PWHL Vancouver and PWHL Seattle live up to expectations? We shall see when the season starts in December. In the meantime, go, Phillies, and spread the word of women’s hockey for all to hear (and hopefully attend some games, whether at one of the eight franchises or at the PWHL’s Takeover Tour around North America).
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