PWHL teams submitted their list of protected players from expansion — here's what we learned

Twenty-four hours before she had to submit her team's three-player protection list to the league, Toronto Sceptres GM Gina Kingsbury had to change course.

The league is in the midst of a complicated, six-phase expansion player distribution process, aimed at filling out new teams in Hamilton, Detroit, Las Vegas and San Jose.

Kingsbury said she went into the process planning to prioritize re-signing Daryl Watts, the Sceptres' leading scorer over the past two seasons.

It looked like the team was close to an agreement with Watts. But things fell apart on Monday, and Kingsbury had to pivot when deciding who to protect.

The team ultimately protected defenders Renata Fast and Ella Shelton, plus goaltender Raygan Kirk.

"[Watts] felt that another market was better for her," Kingsbury told reporters on Thursday. "From that moment, we had to somewhat change the strategy a bit and at that point, it’s definitely trying to protect what we felt were our best assets."

It's a peek inside the chaos and negotiating underway in the PWHL this week, as GMs make decisions that will determine the future of their teams.

Watts will be a prime candidate for one of the four expansion teams, which can offer her an expansion foundational offer worth at least $100,000 US per season. Watts made $59,000 last season with the Sceptres.

Meanwhile, Toronto will have to look elsewhere to replace the team's leading scorer.

"All these phases will make us re-evaluate where we are, what we're going to need and how we attack that for the future," Kingsbury said. "So it's a little bit of a you don't have information until you know what you see, and then you've got to make a decision there on the direction you go."

The next step comes on Friday, when the four