PWHL top scorer Hilary Knight, Ottawa captain unprotected for expansion draft

Ottawa captain Brianne Jenner, league co-leading scorer Hilary Knight of the Boston Fleet and Minnesota's Kelly Pannek are among the headliners available to incoming franchises Seattle and Vancouver in the PWHL's expansion draft next week.

Knight shared the PWHL points lead last season with New York's Sarah Fillier, who also notched 29 points but was protected by the Sirens from being swiped in the expansion draft.

In addition to Pannek, fellow Team Canada forward Sarah Nurse (Toronto) was unprotected. The 30-year-old signed with Toronto in the pre-draft period in 2023 after playing for the Canadian women's hockey team in the 2018 and 2022.

The limited roster protections afforded by the league is part of the PWHL plan to guarantee the new teams will compete sooner than expansion franchises typically do in professional sports.

Three goaltenders were protected -- Montreal's Ann-Renee Desbiens, Gwyneth Philips (Ottawa) and Boston's Aerin Frankel.

Each new franchise is required to select seven players in the expansion draft and build a 12-player roster. Every existing team is assured of losing four players.

Knight, 35, had 15 points and 14 assists and also served as Boston captain.

Before the expansion draft, Seattle and Vancouver are being granted a five-day window that opens on Wednesday to sign no more than five players.

An unprotected player or someone on an expiring deal is eligible to sign before June 9 when the expansion draft is held.

The league list of protected players by team is below:

Montreal Victoire

G Ann-Renee Desbiens

F Marie-Philip Poulin

F Laura Stacey

Toronto Sceptres

D Renata Fast

F Blayre Turnbull

F Daryl Watts

Ottawa Charge

F Emily Clark

D Ronja Savolainen

G Gwyneth Philips

Minnesota Frost

F Taylor Heise

F Kendall Coyne Schofield

D Lee Stecklein

Boston Fleet

G Aerin Frankel

D Megan Keller

F Alina Muller

New York Sirens

F Sarah Fillier

D Ella Shelton

D Micah Zandee-Hart