Overview
- Phase Three concluded on Friday with the eight existing PWHL teams adding three more protected players to bring their lists to six and each expansion club signing up to three additional players, leaving most expansion rosters near eight players.
- Several incumbent clubs used the window to re‑sign key contributors, including Seattle’s two‑year deal for Julia Gosling and Boston’s two‑year deal for Susanna Tapani, and Vancouver re‑signed Jenn Gardiner and Izzy Daniel to multiyear contracts.
- Seattle, which already lost multiple players in earlier phases, protected Danielle Serdachny and Mikyla Grant‑Mentis in Phase Three after re‑signing Gosling, highlighting how the process has produced uneven roster turnover across original teams.
- Expansion franchises have exercised early leverage through binding Expansion Foundational Offers and multiyear deals (reports cite a reported $100,000 minimum first‑year salary and two‑year terms for some EFOs), and a reported sign‑and‑trade for Hilary Knight is expected once the league’s trade freeze lifts next week.
- With Phase Four opening mid‑June to let expansion teams reach 10 players before the June 17 draft, the compressed calendar is forcing fast contract decisions, creating more multi‑year offers and putting many players through quick moves that will shape rosters and playing opportunities next season.