The PWHL released on Monday the key dates, rules, and process for the expansion teams in Seattle and Vancouver to build their rosters.
The guidelines are clearly designed to make both clubs competitive as soon as they hit the ice next season, and Boston could see itself without some of its cornerstones to the newest franchises.
The Fleet can initially protect only three players before adding a fourth after two players are selected from their roster.
Let’s dive deep into which players Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer could potentially expose during this process.
Unfortunately for the Fleet, not all of the players on their 2025 roster are eligible for protection from the expansion draft.
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The Fleet’s goaltending situation could change significantly. Aerin Frankel is the only goalie signed through the end of the 2025-26 season, while Emma Söderberg and Klára Peslarová are both free agents and not eligible for protection from the expansion draft. That means Boston could lose both to Seattle and Vancouver.
After protecting Frankel, Boston will have just two more slots to choose from Hilary Knight, Alina Müller, Megan Keller, Hannah Bilka, Daniela Pejšová and Jamie Lee Rattray.
Either expansion team will likely be looking for goal scoring, which means Müller and/or Knight will be gone if they aren’t protected. And if Boston opts to protect both, along with Frankel, Keller, Bilka, Pejšová and Rattray won’t survive.
One has to wonder if the Fleet protects Müller in the hopes that the expansion clubs don’t select Knight, given her age and announcement that she is stepping away from international play after the 2026 Olympics. Seattle and Vancouver may question the Boston captain’s desire to continue playing after next season.
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The only saving grace is that once the original six franchises relinquish two players to either the expansion draft or the exclusive signing window, they can add one additional player to their protected list, making four total.
It’s truly an impossible situation for any of the GMs. Regardless of how the expansion draft shakes out, the Fleet will look much different when they hit the ice next season.
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