Yesterday, we got official confirmation that in “Phase 1” of the PWHL offseason, the Seattle Torrent protected three players from the unfolding expansion process: center Alex Carpenter, defenseman Anna Wilgren, and goaltender Hannah Murphy. (For an overview on how the expansion process will work, see John Barr’s preview post.)

From here, “Phase 2” is bound to be a painful one for the team and its fans. Forwards Hannah Bilka, Julia Gosling, and Danielle Serdachny, defender Cayla Barnes, and goalie Corrine Schroeder are among those players at significant risk of departing in the coming days. Could captain Hilary Knight join them?

Let’s take a quick look at (1) who the Torrent protected and why, (2) what the next phase of the offseason entails, and (3) who the Torrent could lose off the current roster in the next few days.

The Torrent protect three players during “Phase 1”

Carpenter, 32, is the team’s cornerstone pivot and was likely at serious risk of not returning absent protection. (I’ll get into this a bit more in a moment.)

Murphy, 22, was the youngest player protected by any of the existing teams. As the only goaltender in the league aged 24 or younger to start more than 10 games, the team likely views her as its future at the position.

The market also dictated this move. Failing to protect a goaltender likely would have put the Torrent at risk of losing both Murphy and her tandem partner, Schroeder. Six of the seven other existing teams protected a goalie. Schroeder, 26, finished within the top 10 in the league in save percentage and, as mentioned, Murphy is young and was drafted high. From a game theory perspective, it seems the Torrent were wise to ensure that at least one stayed.

“There’s a lot of teams that need good starting goaltenders. It’s probably difficult to wait for the draft, where you don’t exactly know what’s gonna fall where,” Seattle Kraken GM Meghan Turner told reporters after the protections were announced.

Wilgren, 26, was half of the Torrent’s first pair on the blue line with Barnes. Many on the outside (myself included) suspected that Barnes may have been the team’s preference for protection, but Wilgren was a defensive stalwart on a team that struggled in that area during the 2025–26 season. Turner emphasized to the media that she believes Wilgren is the type of defender the team needs to build around and is still ascending. “I think her production is just starting,” Turner said.

“Phase 2” of the offseason will bring changes

The next phase of the offseason is all about the four expansion clubs—and is itself a three-stage process that begins on Friday, June 5, and concludes on Monday, June 8. From a Torrent perspective, the team will lose a maximum of three players signed to 2026–27 contracts during this phase. It can also lose an unbounded number of pending free agents. To begin, let’s take a closer look at each of the three steps in Phase 2.

#1: Expansion Foundational Offer

After the expansion teams submit negotiating lists, the first major milestone is the “Expansion Foundational Offer.” Each expansion team gets to designate one free agent (i.e., a player on an expiring contract) with a tender offer that the player must accept. (There is a “tie-breaking” mechanism if two teams designate the same player.) The tendered player receives a contract starting at at least $100,000 annually. This is a contract at the very top tier of the league. The player gets to decide on the contract term, between one and four years.

#2: Foundational Player Offers

After those players are allocated, the second step is “Foundational Player Offers.” While the rules are a bit opaque, it seems these offers can go to any unprotected players, whether signed to 2026–27 contracts or not. These contract offers are formulated by the expansion clubs, are for at least two years in length, and carry an ascending annual value starting at a minimum of $80,000. This salary is still near the high end of the league. (For example, Barnes and Bilka’s current contracts are for $70,000 annually.) The difference with this second tier of offer is that the offered player is not required to sign it. She can decline and, if she is a free agent, opt instead to sign with another club in Phase 3.

#3: Foundational Roster Completion

The final step of “Phase 2” is a draft-like process that will occur if one or more of the expansion teams cannot sign five total players through the processes described above. This “Foundational Roster Completion” process is limited to players signed for 2026–27 only, and the expansion team inherits the existing contract.

Defender Barnes is signed through the 2027–28 season. The Torrent also have the following unprotected players signed through this upcoming season: forwards Serdachny, Bilka, Jenna Buglioni, Lexie Adzija, Mikyla Grant-Mentis, and goaltender Schroeder. Forwards Jada Habisch and Lily Delianedis, along with defender Lyndie Lobdell, are restricted free agents. The team’s remaining players, including Gosling, are unrestricted free agents this offseason.

Here is an overview of the top unprotected skaters available, sorted by points per game:

And here are the top unprotected goalies available, sorted by save percentage:

Who will stay and who will go?

Weighing all of this information, we can be fairly confident that losses will mount for Seattle in Phase 2. The team will likely lose three signed players. The question is whether additional unsigned, pending free agents leave as well before Seattle can settle on a deal with them in Phase 3. Let’s walk through the three stages again from a Torrent perspective.

#1: Expansion Foundational Offer

I find it unlikely that any team will use an Expansion Foundational Offer on any of Seattle’s players. Had Carpenter been available, she may have been a candidate, but Seattle avoided that possibility by signing and protecting her during Phase 1. Hilary Knight is another player who could hypothetically factor in here, but, as we see above, she’s older than many of the other unprotected candidates, and her production has dipped below the elite tier. Unless it is for marketing reasons, I doubt Knight is designated here.

Could a player like Barnes (perhaps from San Jose?) or Bilka (perhaps Las Vegas?) factor into this mix? It’s possible, but I’d say it’s unlikely given the other options available.

#2: Foundational Player Offers

This is the stage where the Torrent should begin to lose players from the 2025–26 roster. An expansion team could offer Barnes or Bilka a raise (from $70,000 to $80,000+) and more term on a contract. Each player has arguably earned it.

Beyond the signed players, free agent Julia Gosling could be in the mix for an $80,000+ contract as well (perhaps from Hamilton, near her native London). Gosling’s departure would be particularly painful since she was a core young offensive piece and, as a free agent, would not count against the cap on three roster players lost.

It is possible a team also offers Schroeder a hefty raise to sign her directly rather than compete with the other expansion team for her services in the final Foundational Roster Completion stage. Maybe it’s even likely.

#3: Foundational Roster Completion

To the extent they have not already been signed, this final stage could see up to three signed players like Bilka, Barnes, Serdachny, or Schroeder depart via a draft.

Predictions

For now, I’ll predict that Bilka (under contract), Barnes (under contract), and Gosling (free agent) sign Foundational Player Offers with new teams during the second step of Phase 2. This would leave the Torrent exposed to losing one more signed player in the Foundational Roster Completion step. I’ll project that Schroeder is taken in that process.

This would leave Serdachny as the young, unprotected player returning to Seattle. (The margins are slim, though. Could Barnes, for example, return instead of Serdachny? Could Bilka’s injury dissuade a team from signing or selecting her? These things are in play.)

As for Knight, I suspect it’s unlikely that she receives an Expansion Foundational Offer. After she clears that hurdle, it will be entirely in her hands whether to sign with a new team or return to Seattle, because she is not eligible for the Foundational Roster Completion process as an unsigned player. Given her comments expressing her desire to be back in Seattle next season, I’d be surprised if Knight did not return to the Torrent on a new contract in the weeks ahead.

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What do you think about the Torrent’s protections or path forward? Let us know in the comments below.