Looming expansion holding PWHL players from signing new contracts
While many fans of the women’s game are excited about the prospect of new teams joining the Professional Women’s Hockey League, pending expansion is holding back business for the league’s active franchises.
The PWHL has indicated it could add 2-4 teams for the 2026-27 season, with one team possibly being announced as early as this week. However, the uncertainty of the potential expansion process is holding players back from putting pen to paper on new deals, especially some of the big names on the Toronto Sceptres.
As it stands, only five Sceptres are under contract for next season. Notable star players like Renata Fast, Daryl Watts, Emma Maltais, Raygan Kirk and captain Blayre Turnbull are on the laundry list of pending unrestricted free agents on the current roster. During the team’s end-of-season media availability on Sunday, general manager Gina Kingsbury noted that expansion is causing significant hesitancy among athletes to sign potential extensions.
“With the conversations I’ve had with our athletes and they’re agents,” Kingsbury explained. “There’s definitely a feel that they wanted to know more [about] what the rules are, what the landscape was before signing. There’s always been a bit of a theme that athletes would like to stay in Toronto and want to put themselves in the best position to do so.”
A number of players were asked about their futures with the team, given their contract status. Turnbull stated that she wants to stay with the team she has been with since day one, but will wait to see what the offseason brings with expansion.
“We haven’t heard any details about expansion other than [we assume] it’s happening,” Turnbull said. “We don’t know the rules around it. All I can say is that I want to be in Toronto and play for the Sceptres for a few more years. So, that’s where I’m at.”
Reigning PWHL Defender of the Year Renata Fast shares Turnbull’s sentiment, noting that the league’s growth is exciting, but the logistics and unknowns are generating anxiety among the players.
“It’s at the back of your mind,” Fast said. “It’s nerve-wracking when you’re hearing the rumors. Just so much uncertainty of what’s next. … There’s no place I want to be other than to be in Toronto.”
Now, pending expansion hasn’t stopped certain players from signing long-term deals with their teams. Last summer, the Boston Fleet inked goaltender Aerin Frankel, defender Megan Keller and forward Alina Muller to two-year extensions, keeping them on the books through the 2027-28 season. The Ottawa Charge did the same with goaltender Gwyneth Philips. All four players were protected during the expansion process last year. That said, it’s not yet known whether the rules will change this time around, which obviously raises concerns for the eight current teams in the league.
In 2025, the original six franchises were allowed to protect three players from the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent, with a fourth being added to that list once two players were selected. It effectively led to each team losing four players. However, with no set number of new teams entering the league, it’s not clear how many players each organization could lose in the upcoming process.
In the moment, Kingsbury stated that, on the hockey operations side, she would like to have names on the dotted line for more peace of mind heading into the offseason.
“I would love to have a little bit more confirmation and security,” Kingsbury said. “Because I think this summer is going to be a really busy summer for me. I respect the fact of their position and their desire to be in the driver’s seat of their career and decide where they end up – if the rules fall in their favor. … It will probably just give me a few more sleepless nights…it’s difficult from our position.”
Kingsbury added that there’s a belief that the league will slow its growth after next season, allowing current franchises to settle in and develop over the years.
“There’s a potential that after this expansion, the league might slow down a little, so we may be able to really set a good foundation where athletes can spend 2-3 years with our coaching staff, which we believe our coaching staff will do a great job of developing athletes long term.”
The Sceptres aren’t the only team with several players yet to sign new deals. On average, the eight PWHL teams have fewer than eight players signed to contracts for next season, barely a third of the allotted 23-player roster. The New York Sirens, thanks to signing most of their draft picks to long-term deals, lead the league with 11 players currently under contract through the 2026-27 campaign.
However, big names like Kelly Pannek, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Taylor Heise of the Minnesota Frost are still without a deal. While it’s unconfirmed if their status is due to expansion, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they, and other top players across the league, are in line with those in Toronto, waiting to see what expansion brings before signing their next contracts.