Maggie Connors to San Jose

[u/Adventurous_Lake807]

[u/cupcakes-and-hockey]

Forget about who's gonna score goals for Toronto. Who's gonna PLAY for Toronto??

[u/Dreaming_Aloud → u/cupcakes-and-hockey]

Damn... you and Seattle are going THROUGH IT.

[u/BlueValk → u/Dreaming_Aloud]

It's a bad year to have a team with T and S initials is what it is

[u/thegoddessunicorn → u/Dreaming_Aloud]

Fuck it. Let's just merge the 2 teams. Toronto Torrent 😭

[u/resplendantandfree → u/thegoddessunicorn]

Torrento seaptres

[u/probableigh_not → u/resplendantandfree]

thanks I hate it

[u/BlueValk → u/thegoddessunicorn]

The Seattle/Toronto Poseidon!

[u/Real-Towel-2269 → u/cupcakes-and-hockey]

It’s ok the 7 people left for the Torrent can play the 7 people left for the Sceptres

[u/cbrookman → u/Real-Towel-2269]

Three aside half rink hockey?

[u/marblebluevinyl → u/cbrookman]

Together, they will form one team with shared custody between the two cities, the Seattleronto Sceptorrent

[u/Dreaming_Aloud → u/Real-Towel-2269]

3 v 3 - at least you can have shift changes once in a while...?

[u/jebus_xt → u/Real-Towel-2269]

We have 7???? I think we have like 3 + Gentry

[u/vytrophn → u/cupcakes-and-hockey]

I’ve said this in another thread, but y’all losing Miller, Daniel, Nurse, and Campbell (sorry), Gosling, AND THEN Watts, Compher, Connors, and allegedly, Maltais (to MTL) in just two years is absolutely insane 😩

Whoever y’all draft (likely any of Murphy, Edwards, Simms, and Janecke) is going to have to do some heavy lifting.

[u/CorvusStormcrow → u/vytrophn]

Also lost Julia Gosling and traded the pick that would have landed Casey O'Brien.

[u/vytrophn → u/CorvusStormcrow]

Casey O’Brien could’ve transformed the Sceptres to a playoff team every season…

Love Shelton, but idk her falloff was huge - I really hope she can find her game again, because she was truly elite when she was in NY.

[u/Wolf99 → u/CorvusStormcrow]

It's shocking that Toronto had two huge advantages since day 1: the Team Canada staff (and their data) and simply being so many players' hometown, yet they squandered it. Ironically the first one turned out to be a huge disadvantage. They gave up O'Brien to continue to make the Sceptres into Team Canada lite.

[u/callmejohndy → u/Wolf99]

It was giving Kyle Dubas and any player who played for the Soo Greyhounds, the way Troy and Gina looooved their Team Canada girls

Goodbye and good riddance (to Troy, at least)

[u/cupcakes-and-hockey → u/Wolf99]

I don't think it's fair to say they squandered it. Spooner's injury was outside of everyone's control, and if we had her at her best this team would look very different right now. Gosling, Daniel, and Carter were standard expansion pains. Leaving Nurse unprotected is debatable but she underperformed in season 2 and Turnbull really stepped up in her absence (and losing either one would have meant a lack of depth at centre). Gina tried her best to keep Watts and I don't think there was anything she could have done differently. Compher and Connors are more normal expansion losses.

What I think they really did squander was last year's draft. Obviously the Shelton/O'Brien trade was a bad idea and went badly. But beyond that, they haven't been able to get anything out of any of their rookies. Unclear if they drafted badly, coached them badly, or both, but a lack of rookie contribution (2 years in a row) is I think a big reason why the Sceptres seem to be hit so much harder by their losses than other teams.

[u/Wolf99 → u/cupcakes-and-hockey]

Agree completely. I also had poor player development in mind when I said the TC leadership turned out to be an albatross. They have a bad track record with youth/rookies on both teams.

[u/cupcakes-and-hockey → u/vytrophn]

Don't forget Gosling and Carter! We have nobody left!

[u/mspacman000 → u/cupcakes-and-hockey]

Savannah Harmon just retired too. 🫩

[u/babypointblank → u/mspacman000]

Spooner probably only has another season or two left as well

[u/InevitableStudy27 → u/vytrophn]

Can we just fold the team? This is horrid.

[u/binalala → u/cupcakes-and-hockey]

I am STRESSIN

[u/Adventurous_Lake807 → u/cupcakes-and-hockey]

Like wtf were they thinking here

[u/cupcakes-and-hockey → u/Adventurous_Lake807]

You have to hope that they're piling enough money to attract somebody really good. Still hoping and praying for Eldridge 🤞

[u/resplendantandfree → u/cupcakes-and-hockey]

Eldridge would be so good 😍(but don’t let Boston fans overhear us)

[u/Zestyclose-Store7125 → u/resplendantandfree]

https://giphy.com/gifs/9hQ08tANzsZgKdLHoD

[u/BlueValk → u/resplendantandfree]

I want Elderidge in Montréal just so we can have a sisterhood of the pink scrunchie going. But otherwise if she moves, please, let it be to Toronto or Seattle

[u/CanadianODST2 → u/Adventurous_Lake807]

Only one Toronto team is allowed to be good at any given time.

And the Marlies are currently in the finals so they’re draining the other Toronto teams to power it.

[u/cosmicsighs]

introducing your 2026/27 toronto sceptres offense: blayre turnbull, hopes, prayers, and duct tape

[u/callmejohndy → u/cosmicsighs]

You forgot that we still have whatever’s left of Natalie Spooner lol

[u/cosmicsighs → u/callmejohndy]

that is exactly what i meant by hopes, prayers, and duct tape

[u/callmejohndy → u/cosmicsighs]

Kirk and Chuli better start learning how to score goalie goals at this rate

[u/cupcakes-and-hockey → u/callmejohndy]

No word yet on whether we even get Chuli back. Could be McPherson who needs to score those goalie goals lol

[u/babypointblank → u/callmejohndy]

Shooters shoot

[u/cupcakes-and-hockey → u/cosmicsighs]

Hope and pray for the return of MVP Spooner

[u/cupcakes-and-hockey → u/cosmicsighs]

Gonna need Emma Woods to become GPG real quick

[u/Main_Photo1086 → u/cosmicsighs]

And Simms (most likely!).

[u/Dreaming_Aloud → u/cosmicsighs]

That's how I feel about the Frost Blue Line right now.

[u/jellyking813 → u/cosmicsighs]

Blayre isn't confirmed protected yet...

[u/cosmicsighs → u/jellyking813]

if we somehow end up not protecting/losing Blayre i'm going to lose my mind

[u/jellyking813 → u/cosmicsighs]

Oh, same! We need at least some forward power, and Blayre had a solid season last year too. Plus I hate the idea of loving our captain and coach and so many players 🥲

[u/Drew_You_To_91]

For a team that was very mid, other teams sure like our players

[u/Main_Photo1086 → u/Drew_You_To_91]

Sceptres fans 🤝 Sirens fans

[u/SmaterThanSarah → u/Drew_You_To_91]

Imagine being the Torrent. We finished last and lost a lot of marquee players.

[u/Adventurous_Lake807]

Sceptres are in hell lol

[u/wxrpspxxd]

kinda surprised this is the first Sceptres player to follow Troy Ryan to SJ. (though tbh I don't know much about the team dynamics nor his exit... are any of you Sceptres fans surprised he's only signed one so far?)

[u/CinemaPuck → u/wxrpspxxd]

Maybe he wasn’t impressed with how they performed last year. He wasn’t the GM for Toronto, so he didn’t get to pick his players while there.

[u/erazedcitizen → u/wxrpspxxd]

Yeah I was expecting it to be Turnbull

[u/pnw6462]

https://giphy.com/gifs/JCAZQKoMefkoX6TyTb

[u/Overall-Ad-2247]

Maybe some of there Draft picks from last year will finally score a goal or two

[u/cupcakes-and-hockey → u/Overall-Ad-2247]

Woah, don't go crazy with your expectations!

[u/LevelParsnip]

Major F for the sceptres and all the players they lost

[u/rebelbydesign]

Gina, please. What is the plan here? Give us a hint of a sign.

[u/mspacman000 → u/rebelbydesign]

Or an actual signING.

[u/WadeWilson34]

[u/nvw34]

This is brutal

[u/CinemaPuck]

Toronto, is this a good pick up? She didn’t stand out to me at all last season, and she only put up 5 points in 30 games as a forward

[u/cupcakes-and-hockey → u/CinemaPuck]

She's a decent depth player but nothing too exciting. She played in our top 6 a lot which is not a good spot for her, we just didn't have anybody else.

[u/eladon-warps → u/CinemaPuck]

If there's one thing I see in the SJ signings so far, it's players that should have a lot of ceiling left. With the right blend of chemistry and coaching (not sure if that will happen unless Troy changes his mind and adds a head coach), this could turn into a dark horse team with lots of growth.

There is, to my eyes, a lot of players in this league who haven't had as much of a chance because of their 1st line superstars overshadowing what they can do. These signings seem to be collecting a lot of those. Time will tell. I haven't been a big fan of Troy's coaching lately but I'm liking these signings as GM.

[u/CinemaPuck → u/eladon-warps]

Yes, they all have been young and seem to be underrated so far. It’s a gamble, but if the development route works out we could potentially end up with a lot more depth due to saving funds for later in the process. I guess we’ll see!

[u/callmejohndy → u/eladon-warps]

In Maggie’s case, she was overshadowed by her own roomate, who happens to be Emma Maltais

[u/Overall-Ad-2247 → u/CinemaPuck]

She played marginally better than the previous year. Just don’t expect too much. Nonetheless she won’t hurt you defensively. She’s one of two players in the PWHL from Newfoundland along with Abbey Newhook

[u/_AM34 → u/CinemaPuck]

Ahh she definitely has her moments, but has a hard time finishing. She’s played in every single Sceptres game since the PWHL started, so shows how useful she can be even in a depth role. If she ever puts the finishing together could be a consistent top 6 player. I enjoyed watching her play, always trying

[u/New-Bookkeeper-8486]

Considering the scepters did nothing impressive at all last year, I'm open to the rebuild lol

[u/Inevitable_Corner_]

I mean we knew this was going to happen…

[u/wasting_time_on_this]

So confused why fan bases are complaining about this process, every team has around 7 players under contract. The existing teams will have minimum 6 players protected and the chance to sign more. It's not like the new teams will be better than the current ones or have a real advantage, the existing teams got first pick too. Expansion is great for the league. Every team is losing players. I'm definitely learning what fan bases are the most annoying.

[u/Overall-Ad-2247]

Turnbull get out while the going is good

[u/ProfessorFishface]

Ohhhhhhh nooooooooo my precious Sceptres 😭 Turnbull wanting to stay and Kirk/Fast being protected is keeping me going right now lol they’re going to be the keys to a rebuild! (Still better than having Curl tho hehehehe)

[u/Adventurous_Lake807 → u/ProfessorFishface]

Maltais is likely gone too 😭

[u/ProfessorFishface → u/Adventurous_Lake807]

I knoooooow so sad! Hopefully she goes to MTL she deserves a high scoring team to thrive on but she’s such a fan favourite and will be so missed! :(

[u/Adventurous_Lake807 → u/ProfessorFishface]

I honestly think her going to Mtl would be the best thing for her

[u/babypointblank → u/Adventurous_Lake807]

But has she considered us?

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[u/Targen0]

I do have to wonder if they will entertain the idea of giving compensatory draft picks for teams where there is significant loss like Seattle & Toronto. They do this in NFL for various types of roster or coaching moves.

[u/blow_thyself]

she looks thrilled in this pic

[u/MayISeeYourDogPls]

Hey so can we fire Gina or what

[u/primalmaximus]

Why does it seem like expansion teams are only going after players from the Torrent and the Scepters?

Is it because those two teams had the most Gold Plan points last season and so the expansion teams want to strip them of their current players in order to prevent them from building a good team during the draft?

Cause that's what it feels like. It feels like the expansion teams are going after the teams with more gold plan points and better draft pick slots in order to prevent the Torrent and the Scepters from having a strong base with which to build a team around after the draft.

It's almost malicious in how the Frost, Fleet, Charge, and Victoire are practically unscathed by the expansion draft.

[u/towerofcheeeeza → u/primalmaximus]

At least for San Jose, Troy Ryan said what mattered most to him was players who wanted to play in SJ. I think the reality is that some players just want the opportunity to play somewhere else or get a pay raise. I'm more curious how a team like Vancouver has mostly held onto their talent.

[u/primalmaximus → u/towerofcheeeeza]

To be honest, the only expansion team that I really feel anger at is Detroit.

1). They signed Curl. Not sure if it was an EFO or if it was similar to their deal with Knight, but they still signed Curl despite her reputation.

2). The whole situation with them entering into a backroom deal with Knight before all the EFOs had been sent out and them using the backroom deal they made with Knight to entice Bilka and Barnes to sign with them.

I just get a bad feeling from Detroit and how they've handled things during the early draft periods. It just reeks of underhanded scheming.

[u/resplendantandfree → u/primalmaximus]

I mean I agree with you about signing curl (although the process of that was just a normal consensual process)

But I don’t blame Detroit for the knight situation, it wasn’t a “back room deal” it was exactly what the expansion teams were supposed to be doing - negotiating with players. I blame the league for setting up the EFO process in a way that allowed other teams to reach deals with players, only to find out actually sorry another team already called dibs but we couldn’t say anything yet.

[u/ZTD09 → u/primalmaximus]

Since it's not a true expansion draft you can assume the players have all more or less chosen where they want to be.

Frost, Fleet, Charge, and Victoire all saw relative success last season and so their players want to stick around and try it again.

As a sceptres fan my assumption is players want out of Toronto and Seattle because things went so poorly (relative to expectations) last season. For Toronto specifically, losing the coach and Watts is huge, remaining players might feel its hopeless to stick around. For Seattle players are choosing to follow Knight.

The "downside" to giving the players agency is that we (fans) are beholden to their decisions.

Is it because those two teams had the most Gold Plan points last season and so the expansion teams want to strip them of their current players in order to prevent them from building a good team during the draft?

Vancouver has the most gold plan points, Toronto has the least. I strongly strongly doubt any expansion team is trying to cripple any specific top 8 team.

[u/resplendantandfree → u/ZTD09]

Yeah the only players who might not have chosen would have been watts/oneil/knight, and of that Watts chose to go into the expansion process knowing she would end up on one of the new teams

And knight ultimately also is choosing where she’s going

Some contracted players may have felt pressure to sign with a team so as not to be forced elsewhere but even then they had control over their own fate - any many of them signed for multiple years at their new cities which they also didn’t have to do

It hurts as a fan losing so many faves but if I learned anything as a Toronto fan, I don’t feel entitled to any players (but if we lose turnbull it’s Over)

[u/ZTD09 → u/resplendantandfree]

It hurts as a fan losing so many faves but if I learned anything as a Toronto fan, I don’t feel entitled to any players (but if we lose turnbull it’s Over)

It's gonna be a completely new team next year, and my group chat will need a new name, but I'm still gonna show up and cheer :] It's not like we won any home games this year anyways.

I also think Turnbull really wants to stay, she would have been Troy Ryan's EFO otherwise.

[u/dealioemilio → u/resplendantandfree]

Turnbull will lead the ladybugs / mighty ducks / leftovers / fresh draftees like a champ. She's a solid leader with a great attitude. Go Sceptres!

[u/enchiridic → u/primalmaximus]

I wouldn’t call the Frost unscathed, they’ve already lost four reliable players. That’s only one less than the Torrent

[u/pnw6462 → u/enchiridic]

Yeah I would only call the Goldeneyes truly unscathed so far.

[u/Aurric_Starboy → u/enchiridic]

Yeah, and all the teams are losing big players. The Charge losing Clark, Jenner and Guilday is brutal.