The PWHL trade deadline is on Monday, March 30th. With only eight games to go in the regular season, the Minnesota Frost are currently third in the PWHL with 42 points.
The Frost have been playing some of their best hockey in March, and have a comfortable hold on a playoff spot. I don’t think there will be any big splashes at the deadline. However, there are a couple of spots I think it could make sense to target for a move.
Areas of need
Center depth
The Frost’s center depth took a big hit earlier this season when Dominique Petrie suffered a season-ending injury.
Currently, the Frost have Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek centering their top two lines; no need to upgrade there. Rookie Vanessa Upson and Claire Butorac are playing regular minutes at center in the bottom six. Butorac played as a wing when the forward group was healthy, and I would guess once Kendall Coyne Schofield returns to the lineup, Klára Hymlárová will slide back to center, allowing Butorac to play wing again.
That leaves Vanessa Upson. When the Frost were at full strength early in the season, Upson was in and out of the lineup. Upson has played center consistently recently, and I’ve been impressed with how she has looked alongside Grace Zumwinkle and Abby Hustler. Upson picked up her first point in the win over New York earlier this month, and she has a plus-minus of +1 in March. Upson’s playing time has increased as the month has gone on.
However, she’s still a rookie, and she’s been a bit inconsistent in the faceoff circle. I could see the Frost wanting a more experienced option for a playoff run. If that is the case, it would make sense to think about adding a center for their bottom six who could compete with Upson for playing time. There is no such thing as too much center depth.
Third-pairing defender
The Frost have rotated through seven defenders this season. Lee Stecklein, Natalie Buchbinder, Sidney Morin, Kendall Cooper, and Mae Batherson have all played consistently. Madison Bizal and Brooke Becker have bounced in and out of the lineup as the sixth and seventh defenders.
On Wednesday night against the Victoire, Natalie Buchbinder left the game in the third period with what appeared to be an injury. Head coach Ken Klee told reporters postgame, “She’s getting evaluated. I think, hopefully, it’s not as bad as initially we feared it might be, but you know, it’s kind of hard until she sees the doctor tomorrow, we will have a better understanding,” Klee said.
Buchbinder has been fantastic for the Frost this season. If she is forced to miss time, I could see the Frost adding another depth defender at the deadline to compete with Bizal, Becker, and rookie Ava Rinker for third-pairing minutes.
Prediction
I don’t expect any massive changes for the Frost on Monday. The team has been playing some of its best hockey recently and appears poised for another playoff run. If they do make a move, I’d expect it to be around the margins.
The Minnesota Frost are back in action on Sunday, March 29th, when they take on the Boston Fleet at Grand Casino Arena. Boston is currently atop the PWHL standings, six points ahead of Minnesota.