The Toronto Sceptres are going to have to make some difficult decisions this offseason. With 17 players on the roster set to be unrestricted free agents and a vacant head coaching position amid navigating the expansion process landscape, this could be a very different team next season.
As part of the aforementioned expansion process, the Sceptres will select three players to protect or re-sign in Phase 1. This can include players who are currently under contract (protect) and players who are on expiring contracts (sign).
Here are my three picks to start the expansion process. This may or may not be who Gina Kingsbury ends up selecting, but it’s fun to consider. I could argue for several others, including Renata Fast, Blayre Turnbull & Natalie Spooner.
Daryl Watts
Daryl Watts, 27, led the Toronto Sceptres in scoring this past season. She had 19 points, including 10 goals, in 27 regular season games. Six of her assists were primary markers. She also had a team-high three game-winning goals and 86 shots on goal. She averaged just under 19 minutes of ice time per game.
Watts is currently headed for free agency, but it’d be very wise of the Sceptres to lock her up and protect her. Her base salary for the 2025-26 season was $59,000.
Ella Shelton
I really like the idea of protecting at least one piece per position. For the defense, you could go either way: Renata Fast, or, as I’ve chosen, Ella Shelton. Shelton errs on the younger side (28, as opposed to nearly 32). Though she wasn’t a foundational signing like Fast, I like Shelton’s game and what she’s brought to Toronto.
Shelton skated in all 30 games with the Toronto Sceptres this past season, accruing seven points. She also led the team with 55 blocked shots while skating an average of 24:35 per game. She has one year left on her contract. In the 2025-26 season, her base salary was $79,321.20.
Raygan Kirk
Raygan Kirk played the lion’s share in net for the Toronto Sceptres this past season – and crushed it. She recorded a 1.87 GAA and .934 save percentage in 23 games, with eight wins. Even though the season’s end result may not have been what the team wanted, Kirk did her part.
Given the volume she played, Kirk was vastly underpaid. Her base salary was just over league minimum, at $37,200. She could be due for a significant raise, but it certainly makes sense for the Sceptres to lock her down unless they’re thinking of heading in a different direction in net. She is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
The preliminary player negotiation period begins on June 1 at 12 p.m. ET.