Analyzing the PWHL Protected List and the Impending Expansion Raids

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The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) just sent a seismic jolt through the women’s sports world. On Wednesday, the league officially released the player protection lists for its eight established franchises. This milestone marks Phase 1 of a massive, reality-bending 2026 Expansion Player Distribution Process designed to stock the cupboards for four brand-new franchises: Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas, and San Jose.

With each existing team permitted to protect a maximum of only three players under contract, general managers were forced to make agonizing, high-stakes decisions. While the league’s most untouchable stars have been locked down, a breathtaking pool of elite, unprotected talent is now ripe for a historic roster raid.

Here is the definitive breakdown of who is safe, who is exposed, and how the impending expansion process will reshape the league.

The “Untouchables”: How the Core Eight Anchored Their Identities

Faced with a strict three-player limit, established general managers overwhelmingly focused on securing elite goaltending, premier blue-liners, and franchise-altering offensive engines.

The Spine of the Fleet (Boston): To no one’s surprise, the Boston Fleet protected their elite defensive identity, shielding superstar goaltender Aerin Frankel alongside premier defenders Megan Keller and Haley Winn.
The Twin Cities Firepower (Minnesota): The Minnesota Frost successfully locked down the league’s top two scorers from last season, signing Kelly Pannek (the reigning Points Leader and Top Goal Scorer) and Taylor Heise to lucrative three-year extensions. They rounded out their trio by protecting goaltender Maddie Rooney.
The Gotham Youth Movement (New York): The New York Sirens focused entirely on their offensive future, protecting 2024-25 Rookie of the Year Sarah Fillier, former No. 1 pick Kristyna Kaltounkova, and extending a qualifying offer to protect Patty Kazmaier winner Casey O’Brien.
The Big Extensions (Seattle & Toronto): The Seattle Torrent handed U.S. Olympic gold medalist Alex Carpenter a monster three-year contract extension to anchor their list, while the Toronto Sceptres inked 2024-25 Defender of the Year Renata Fast and goalie Raygan Kirk to three-year deals to keep them away from hometown expansion threats.

The Vulnerable Megastars: Who is Exposed?

Because general managers were restricted to just three protections, the math dictated that elite, franchise-level players would inevitably be left unprotected. These players are now fully available to be courted by the four incoming expansion clubs.

The Minnesota Conundrum: By choosing to protect goaltender Maddie Rooney alongside Pannek and Heise, the Frost were forced to leave iconic forward Kendall Coyne Schofield, star sniper Grace Zumwinkle, and elite defender Lee Stecklein completely unprotected. Any of these three could instantly step in as the foundational face of a new expansion franchise.

Minnesota isn’t alone in its vulnerability. Other shocking names left off the protection lists include Boston’s superstar forward Alina Müller and Ottawa’s veteran leadership duo of Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark. Expect these players to be at the absolute top of every expansion team’s wishlist when negotiations open.

What Happens Next? The Roster Build Roadmap

The release of the protection lists fires the starting gun on a rapid-fire, multi-phase expansion process designed to get the new teams up to speed:

Phase 2: The Expansion Signings (June 5–8): This is where the chaos truly begins. The four expansion clubs will submit a 20-player Exclusive Negotiation Target List. Each new team receives one binding Expansion Foundational Offer (EFO), allowing them to throw premium, multi-year cornerstone money at any unprotected star (like Coyne Schofield or Alina Müller). They can also issue non-binding Foundational Player Offers (FPOs) to fill out up to five roster spots.
Phases 3 & 4 (Mid-June): An open signing period followed by a final expansion signing phase to ensure all four new teams have 10 players under contract ahead of the entry draft.
The 2026 PWHL Entry Draft (June 17): A six-round draft featuring all 12 teams, where the Vancouver Goldeneyes currently hold the coveted No. 1 overall pick.

The chessboard has been set. With legendary names officially hitting the open market and four hungry new franchises armed with premium contract offers, the face of the PWHL is about to change forever.