How will PWHL expansion work?

It's about to be a busy and transformative two months in the PWHL.

First, there's the Walter Cup playoffs, which continue with Game 3 between the Montreal Victoire and Minnesota Frost on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. The Ottawa Charge will host the Boston Fleet in Game 3 of the other semifinal series on Friday.

Off the ice, the league is growing. A ninth franchise was added in Detroit on Wednesday and more teams are coming.

"We're still working through multiple cities," Amy Scheer, the PWHL's executive vice president of business operations, told CBC Sports earlier this week.

Why did the PWHL decide to expand into Detroit?

As many as four new teams could begin play next season. That would bring the PWHL to 12 franchises, a magic number the league has targeted as it looks to secure more corporate partnerships and a major U.S. broadcast rights deal.

Between expansion and a good portion of the league playing on expiring contracts, PWHL rosters should be shaken up significantly next season. Add in the entry draft, with talents like Olympic MVP Caroline Harvey and U.S. forward Abbey Murphy available, and there will be a lot of new faces dominating the league soon.

A team like the Minnesota Frost, which won the last two Walter Cups, was built around a core of star players who've been with the team since its formation. They're unlikely to stay together through another round of expansion.

It's in the back of players' minds, but the focus is the playoffs, Minnesota forward Katy Knoll said earlier this week.

"We can't really control much of it until after the season's done anyway, so it wouldn't really make much sense to put too much pressure on it right now," Knoll said.

Last year, the expansion teams in Seattle and Vancouver