Goldeneyes GM Faces Tough Decisions in PWHL Expansion
Vancouver Goldeneyes general manager Cara Gardner Morey has expressed deep concern about the upcoming Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) expansion, which will force the team to part ways with several fan favorites. The expansion, adding four new clubs in Detroit, Hamilton, San Jose, and Las Vegas, began its formal process on Thursday, with existing teams submitting lists of 10 players on expiring contracts they are considering signing for initial protections.
"It terrifies me," Gardner Morey admitted, referring to the inevitable roster shake-up. The Goldeneyes, who finished second in the league in attendance with an average of 11,235 fans per game, have built a strong connection with their supporters at the Pacific Coliseum. The team's inaugural campaign saw them draw 14,958 for their home opener and develop a cohesive group that often socialized together off the ice.
"In a perfect world, you'd keep everyone together and run it back, but that's not going to happen. People are going to leave," she said. "It's not frustrating. It's sad, in a way, because it was such a special group."
Expansion Process Details
The expansion includes six phases. On Thursday, existing teams submitted their 10-player lists of pending free agents. Starting Monday, teams can negotiate with those players. By Wednesday at noon, existing teams must submit their three-player protected lists, which can only include players under contract for next season. On Thursday, the four new teams will submit lists of 20 players they are interested in signing, and they can only sign those targeted players during that phase. The new clubs must have 10 players signed by June 15, the end of the fourth phase. Existing teams can lose a maximum of four players under contract for next season. Free agency opens on June 19.
Gardner Morey noted that the process differs from last year's expansion, when Vancouver and Seattle Torrent joined. At that time, the league gave new clubs a five-day window to sign up to five unprotected or free agents. She successfully added Sophie Jaques, Claire Thompson, Sarah Nurse, Emerance Maschmeyer, and Jenn Gardiner—all key players who later represented Team Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Protected List Considerations
Vancouver currently has 10 players under contract for next season, including star defender Sophie Jaques, starting goalie Emerance Maschmeyer, forward Hannah Miller, and captain Ashton Bell. Fifteen players are on expiring contracts, with notable names like Sarah Nurse, Jenn Gardiner, and Claire Thompson. Jaques, a two-time Defender of the Year finalist and the team's leading scorer, is a logical protection choice. Maschmeyer, given the league's shortage of top goalies, also seems likely to be protected. Gardner Morey declined to name specific players but emphasized the importance of goaltending: "If you ask probably any GM, there's never enough goaltending. It's so important in women's hockey."
Looking Ahead
The Goldeneyes struggled early in the season but finished strong, winning their final four games. They ended the regular season in sixth place with a 9-3-4-14 record, missing the playoffs by seven points. Despite the on-ice challenges, the team excelled at the box office and built a loyal fan base. Gardner Morey is focused on minimizing losses: "How do I keep them? That's my main goal. That's the strategy I'm trying to come up with."
Vancouver holds the first overall pick in the PWHL draft on June 17, thanks to winning the league's Gold Plan, which awards the top selection to the team that accumulates the most points after being eliminated from playoff contention. The Goldeneyes are expected to select American defender Caroline Harvey, 23, a University of Wisconsin product who was named MVP of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.
Gardner Morey acknowledged that adding four teams at once is a big challenge but sees it as a sign of the league's growth: "People are loving our sport and there's a huge demand. I played in an era when nobody paid attention to us and told us that nobody cared." She hopes the league can stabilize after this expansion: "Maybe we will continue to expand. I'm not sure. I'd rather not go through it every single year. I sort of feel like 'let's do this big shebang,' get to where we want to get and then fill in for a bit and grow."
