Sirens officially eliminated from 2026 PWHL playoff contention
While some things change, others stay the same.
After failing to beat the Toronto Sceptres in regulation on Tuesday night, the New York Sirens were officially eliminated from contention for the 2026 Walter Cup Playoffs.
It marks the third season in a row that the Sirens have failed to reach the PWHL postseason, making them the only member of the original six franchises to accomplish this disappointing feat. That means New York is inserted into the Gold Plan once again. They’ll be battling the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes for the first-overall pick, though both teams have a head start on the Sirens, with the Torrent already having one draft-order point.
The Sirens have “earned” the No. 1 pick in each of the past two years, leading to the team drafting Sarah Fillier and Kristyna Kaltounkova.
After finishing dead last in each of the first two seasons in the league, everyone thought this would be the year things would change for the team in New Jersey. Similar to the first two seasons, the first half of the season ignited some optimism in the team. While the Sirens weren’t necessarily considered the top team in the PWHL, it seemed that the team was good enough to be a true playoff contender.
Many players gave hope to the franchise thanks to their efforts early on. Reigning rookie of the year Fillier hardly had any fall off from her impressive freshman campaign, and the addition of rookies Kaltounkova and Casey O’Brien added some youth and offensive punch. Also, goaltender Kayle Osborne started off like a firecracker and worked her way onto Canada’s Olympic roster thanks to a strong first few months of the season.
However, just like what happened last season, as the dog days of the campaign came around, New York jumped on a slip-n-slide that it couldn’t get off. The team lost five games around the Olympic break, losing nine of 10 as it approached the deadline, not to mention the fact that Kaltounkova suffered a lower-body injury last month that put her on long-term injured reserve. While the Sirens battled to stay alive over the past couple of weeks, the effort was all for naught, as they now can prepare for a high draft selection.
With so many issues that have plagued this team in its first few years of existence, you have to wonder what changes might be coming to the Sirens in the offseason.