Top 11 players not protected during PWHL expansion process
The 2026 PWHL Expansion Player Distribution Process is underway.
The first phase of the six-phase process is complete, with the eight established franchises protecting their first three players from the new teams in Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose. We saw expected names like Marie-Philip Poulin, Aerin Frankel and Sarah Fillier all set to remain with their respective teams, while players like Taylor Heise, Sarah Nurse and Alex Carpenter had to sign contracts to not be open to the expansion teams.
With that, there are over a hundred players left behind to possibly join one of the four new franchises. No player can just be scooped up during Phase 2, but they have a chance to hear pitches, as Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose must submit 20-player negotiating lists. The second phase will take place from June 5-8.
Let’s take a look at the 11 best players, in no particular order, who weren’t protected for the early portion of the expansion process. Why 11? Because…this one just goes to 11.
Abby Roque, F (UFA)
Age: 28
2025-26 cap hit: $116,699
If Poulin hadn’t been the one to be named the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP, the honor would’ve gone to Abby Roque. There was no player who had a greater impact on a new team last season than she. She helped get the Montreal Victoire over the hump, helping the team win its first Walter Cup.
What she does next is up in the air. There’s the obvious opinion that she will return to Michigan and play for Detroit (though Sault Ste. Marie is closer to Manitoba than Detroit). It would bring immediate legitimacy to the new franchise in Hockeytown, but will she find the same level of success that she had playing with Poulin and Laura Stacey?
Daryl Watts, F (UFA)
Age: 27
2025-26 cap hit: $59,000
Two years after the Daryl Watts Sweepstakes saw her end up with the Toronto Sceptres (on an extremely cheap contract), Watts is a hot commodity once again. On a rather poor Sceptres team last season, she helped carry the offense. Unquestionably, the Toronto native has been one of the most exciting players to watch throughout her entire career, especially in the PWHL.
Some believe that Watts is going to follow former Toronto head coach Troy Ryan to San Jose, with Las Vegas also seeming to be a potential destination for the Patty Kazmaier winner. Regardless, it seems pretty clear that her time in The Six is done.
Kendall Coyne Schofield, F (UFA)
Age: 34
2025-26 cap hit: $100,785.50
Could one of the faces of women’s hockey, who has been a staple on the Minnesota hockey scene for several years, be on the move? The Minnesota Frost elected to protect top scorers Kelly Pannek and Taylor Heise, along with goaltender Maddie Rooney. Coyne Schofield was protected during last year’s expansion process, and was still a key part of that incredible Frost offense.
Now, Minnesota’s captain could easily wait it out through Phase 2, not sign and get protected in Phase 3. That said, maybe the Illinois native wants to move a little further East, with Detroit being a potential landing spot for the two-time Olympic gold medalist. Coyne Schofield not signing a new contract during Phase 1 certainly opened the door for that possibillity.
Alina Muller, F (Boston Fleet)
Age: 28
2025-26 cap hit: $95,000 (2 more years)
Another player protected last year, Muller was the odd player out. Granted, GM Danielle Marmer had a tough choice, choosing to keep Megan Keller, Aerin Frankel and rookie Haley Winn safe. Muller has been one of the most consistent offensive weapons on a Fleet team that has earned the reputation of struggling to score goals.
I don’t expect Muller to leave Boston on her own accord. The Swiss star played her college hockey at Northeastern, signed with the Boston Pride of the old PHF, before the league folded, only to join the Fleet. The only way I think we see Muller exit New England is if an expansion team doesn’t sign five players during the phase, and is allowed to openly pick unprotected players.
Britta Curl-Salemme, F (Minnesota Frost)
Age: 26
2025-26 cap hit: $51,000 (2 more years)
Curl-Salemme was the added protected player last summer after the Frost lost Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson to the Vancouver Goldeneyes. I expect a similar scenario to happen again in the coming days. She’s one of Minnesota’s top scorers, finishing third in the PWHL this past season behind Pannek and Heise, and certainly brings a…unique element to the team.
Say what you want about her, but the former Wisconsin captain is effective in the way she plays, and head coach Ken Klee seems to like her a lot. She’s definitely a player that’s going to be protected if she doesn’t get picked up before Phase 3.
Brianne Jenner, F (UFA)
Age: 35
2025-26 cap hit: $122,003
Like Marmer in Boston, Ottawa Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld had a tough ask in determining who he should protect. He went with clear choices in Gwyneth Philips and Ronja Savolainen, electing to hold onto Rebecca Leslie after an impressive 2025-26 season. For Charge fans, it’s a sore sight to see Jenner left out in the open. She had her best performance in the PWHL, as she and Leslie were key to the team’s scoring prowess.
That said, I would be shocked if Jenner were to leave. She clearly has a home in Ottawa, with a blossoming family to boot. Unless a mind-boggling offer comes her way, or, similar to Muller, a team needs to fill out the required five roster spots during this phase, the Canadian National Team star is going to stay with the Charge.
Nicole Gosling, D (Montreal Victoire)
Age: 24
2025-26 cap hit: $50,000
Gosling was one of the best defenders in the PWHL during her first year, but it wasn’t enough to convince Daniele Sauvageau not to stick with the same trio of players she protected last year. Playing top pair minutes right away, the London, Ont. native played well beyond her years, nearly playing her way back onto the Team Canada roster.
The only destinations I could see Gosling consider would be Hamilton or Toronto, closer to home for her. With Hamilton not having the chance to have homegrown talent in Nurse or Renata Fast, getting a rising star in Gosling can help develop a strong D-Corps in Steeltown.
Hilary Knight, F (UFA)
Age: 36
2025-26 cap hit: $106,090
All signs point to the Hilary Knight Experience in Seattle being a one-and-done deal, unless Seattle’s working on something we don’t know about. The Torrent re-signed Alex Carpenter and protected Hannah Murphy and Anna Wilgren. Nothing against the latter two, but if they wanted to keep Knight around, GM Meghan Turner would’ve made it happen.
That said, Knight wasn’t protected last year by the Fleet. Maybe she wants to try one of the new markets, with Las Vegas and San Jose being great options if the Idaho native wants to be out west. From what we saw last year, even after she tore her MCL, Knight still has a little left in the tank.
Hannah Bilka, F (Seattle Torrent)
Age: 26
2025-26 cap hit: $70,000 (1 more year)
Another player who had to grind her way through a tough season in Seattle. Unlike Knight, who was one of the first five players the Torrent signed last summer, Bilka was picked by the team in the expansion draft. Now she could use this year’s expansion process as a way out, if that’s what she wants.
Bilka certainly could ask for a substantial raise compared to the $70,000 she made last season. She’s a big-time player with skill that makes players around her better. I think she could continue to do fine in Seattle, but maybe a different team, with more support around her, could let us see what the former Fleet star can do.
Rory Guilday, D (Ottawa Charge)
Age: 23
2025-26 cap hit: $50,000 (2 more years)
I’m not going to make assumptions and say Guilday didn’t enjoy her time in Ottawa enough to stay, but with the potential opportunities for her to get paid a little more by one of the league’s newest franchises, the Minnesota native might decide to move back across the border.
There were definitely some growing pains for the Cornell graduate, but after finding a rhythm in the second half of the season, she proved that she can be a top-four defender in the PWHL, regardless of where she plays. Any team would be lucky to have her on the back end.
Kayle Osborne, G (New York Sirens)
Age: 24
2025-26 cap hit: $39,000 (2 more years)
While Osborne signed a one-year extension to keep her on the Sirens’ books through 2027-28, I wonder if she considers a change of scenery after experience the hardships of playing for the struggling team in New York. She has more than enough talent to be a No. 1 almost anywhere in the PWHL, hence why she earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic roster.
Is moving back to Ontario a possibility? Sure, her hometown of Westport is quite the poke from Hamilton, but with Raygan Kirk re-signing for three years, and Philips staying with the Charge for two more seasons, Hamilton’s the only other team in the province with a starting job open.