The Toronto Sceptres have just five players under contract for next season — the fewest (along with Minnesota) in the entire PWHL.
But with expansion looming, the situation appears to be a strategic decision that the team hopes will keep them in good shape for 2026-27.
Many of Toronto’s core players — including Daryl Watts, Renata Fast, Blayre Turnbull, Emma Maltais and Raygan Kirk — are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, leaving much of the roster technically open heading into the offseason.
According to general manager Gina Kingsbury, that was by design.
“There was definitely a feel that [last summer] players wanted to know more what the rules were, what the landscape was before signing,” Kingsbury said at the team’s end-of-season availability.
"I wouldn't say I reluctantly didn't push to sign them because I would love to have a little bit more confirmation and security because I think this summer is going to be a really busy summer for me."
It's a calculated risk that the rules around protecting players won't change, and also that the Sceptres will be able to keep or attract players to the team.
While expansion is widely expected ahead of next season, the league has yet to formally announce details — including how player movement, protection lists, or free agency could be impacted.
Pending UFA Blayre Turnbull said she has not yet had conversations about her future with the team, noting the lack of clarity surrounding expansion.
“All I can say is that I want to be in Toronto and play for the Sceptres for a few more years,” Turnbull said.
“There’s no place I want to be other than to be in Toronto,” she said, adding that while expansion is exciting for the league, "it’s nerve-wracking when you're hearing rumors and just so much uncertainty of what's next."
Allie Munroe said, “We haven't heard any details about expansion yet. We don't know the rules around it. It’s hard to come to any sort of decision when you don’t know any details… so just wait and see.”
And with the expansion specifics delayed, there is definitely uncertainty from management and among the players.
In other leagues, expansion has included additional mechanisms beyond standard protection lists. The WNBA, for example, allowed expansion teams exclusive negotiating rights with certain unprotected players, creating scenarios where free agents could be influenced by rules outside of traditional market competition.
Kingsbury said the organization chose to respect that approach, even if it creates more work in the short term.
“I respected the fact of their desire to be in the driver’s seat of their career,” she said. “It just probably will give me a few more sleepless nights… but we have to navigate through these unknowns.”
It certainly opens up the risk of losing players, and could reshape the Sceptres' roster significantly.
Most teams have between six and 11 players signed, so there will be a lot of movement with many big names hitting the market, including several of the league's 'foundational' signings from the first season (Sarah Nurse, Brianne Jenner, Hilary Knight, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein, and more).
The uncertainty doesn’t just affect who the Sceptres might lose — it could also shape who becomes available.
Several players with ties to the organization are also set to hit free agency, including Nurse, who signed with Vancouver, and 2024 first-round pick Julia Gosling.