Torrent don't protect captain Hilary Knight from expansion teams

The Torrent swerved expectations with their three protected players, blocking defender Anna Wilgren, goaltender Hannah Murphy and forward Alex Carpenter from being signed away by a Professional Women's Hockey League expansion team.

Conspicuously absent: Team USA and Torrent captain Hilary Knight, one of the most famous faces in the game at the moment and Seattle's vocal leader. Other notable omissions include Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes, Knight's fellow U.S. Olympians who just won gold in the 2026 Winter Games. Those three were part of Seattle's core when the franchise launched last year.

But the Torrent finished in last place, fired their coach and are looking ahead. There are a lot of factors potentially in play. Knight will turn 37 in July and while she's beloved, her playing days are probably winding down. The Boston Fleet shocked the league by leaving their captain unprotected last season, which allowed Seattle to swoop in and sign her to a one-year deal. She's helped launch a first-year PWHL franchise twice, and could continue her work as a hockey ambassador in another city.

Knight missed time with a knee injury and chipped in five goals and nine assists through 22 Torrent games. Barring any late announcements, Knight hasn't been plucked from the roster yet.

"For me, personally...I want to be here in Seattle, and hopefully I can find my way back," Knight said in exit interviews. "(That) is something that is top of mind, has been back of mind for a handful of weeks, as expansion rumors have come out. We'll see what happens."

Bilka returned from the Olympics injured and didn't play another PWHL game. Barnes' native California is getting an expansion team, and while Seattle was as close to her home state as she could get last summer, San Jose could be even more appealing.

This isn't necessarily the end for those three players, or other Torrent favorites. There is no expansion draft this summer for new franchises Detroit, Hamilton (Ontario), Las Vegas, and San Jose, with player choice cited as the rationale.

Still, select players could have the decision made for them. Each expansion team will receive one binding "expansion foundational offer," where the player has to sign but can choose a contract length up to four years.

General managers were allowed to sign a pending free agent from another team's roster during Phase 1, which just ended. If that happened at all, it hasn't yet been announced. Six players, including Carpenter, signed new deals with the team they played for last season.

U.S. Olympian Carpenter, the Torrent's leading goal scorer during the inaugural season, had her deal announced Tuesday. She was automatically protected. If Knight goes elsewhere, Carpenter, 32, will likely help fill that leadership void.

Wilgren was the biggest surprise on the list. She started the 2025-26 season tentatively but finished strong. She didn't score her first Torrent goal until the third-to-last game of the season, but put up five points (three goals, two assists) in those final three contests. Former coach Steve O'Rourke cited her desire to impress the U.S. national team as a potential distraction which may have affected her game.

Murphy was Seattle's second-ever draft pick out of Colgate and the first goalie taken in the 2025 PWHL draft. She began the season as the clear backup in net but soon started playing regularly. She appeared in 12 games to Corinne Schroeder's 17 and went 4-8 with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. Murphy isn't among Seattle's stars yet, but clearly teams wanted to shield a goaltender during this round of expansion. All but one existing team - New York - had a goalie among their three protected players.

Unprotected Torrent starter Schroeder (2.56 GAA, .915 sv%), who is signed next season, could be on the move again. Existing teams can lose a maximum of three players under contract for the 2026-27 season during Phase 2.

Julia Gosling, who shared Seattle's points lead (20) with Carpenter, and promising forward Danielle Serdachny (seven goals, nine assists) will be among the Torrent's appealing offerings, alongside Knight, Bilka, Barnes and Schroeder.

Seattle general manager Meghan Turner is set to explain her choices in a press conference Thursday morning. Phase 2 begins at 9 a.m. Friday with the "expansion team foundational signing period," during which each expansion team will add five players to its roster.

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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 11:42 PM.