On June 10, 2024 at the second-ever PWHL draft, Montreal’s GM Danièle Sauvageau took two calculated risks . First, in the third round, after the team took a timeout to confer, they stepped to the podium and selected Abby Boreen, who played with PWHL Minnesota last season. It had been widely expected that Boreen, who was a reserve player due to her status as a student in pharmaceutical school, would be taken by Ken Klee and stay in Minnesota.
However, Minnesota instead selected St. Cloud University’s Klára Hymlárová at number 15 in the third round when Boreen was available and seemed the likely choice. In a draft with several surprises, this was puzzling but left Montreal, drafting 17th, with an opportunity to take the power forward and add some much-needed grit and scoring to their lineup. They decided to select Boreen, leading to a loud chorus of boos from the Minnesota crowd in attendance.
After her selection, Boreen said , “It’s bittersweet for me. It’s hard to leave a program that you gave your heart and soul for, but I’m really excited for this opportunity.”
With Boreen yet to sign in Montreal, the speculation has increased that she would prefer to return to Minnesota. There were reports that Montreal had been working to find a way to transfer her education to McGill University , but that hasn’t occurred and seems less and less likely. Fans are certainly eager to see how Boreen would add to the Montreal forward ranks alongside Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Kristin O’Neill, but a more likely scenario seems that Sauvageau and Klee, or whoever is hired as Minnesota GM, would have to work out a trade.
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Montreal has more pressing needs at forward than on defense, so it could make sense to look at a player like Denisa Křížová or Michela Cava. Both recently re-signed with Minnesota, but shouldn't be untouchable. Cava was a standout in the playoffs, but her regular season numbers (5-3-8 in 24 games) were actually less than those of Boreen (4-1-5 in 9 games). This could be a nice deal for both teams if Minnesota is willing. Křížová, who will be 30 when the season starts, also didn’t have great regular season numbers (3-3-6) but played better later in the season. Former GM Natalie Darwitz was apparently unwilling to trade Křížová, but it could also be a good move for Minnesota to re-acquire a fan favorite and a talented grinder who is similar in many ways to both Křížová and Cava. And if Minnesota is having buyer’s remorse taking Hymlárová, she might be a good option to offer in trade.
Montreal's second calculated move was even more bold: with Team USA standout Amanda Kessel being passed over round after round, they selected her with the second-to-last pick of the seventh round. Murmurs of surprise rumbled through the hall, as many had begun to wonder whether Kessel was truly planning to play or somehow was in line to take the Minnesota GM job. Later, it was reported that she would only sign and play with one team, Boston, and that the other five would be wasting a pick if they took her. Even Boston seemed to feel it was unnecessary to draft her. Some believe Boston was looking to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest as their head coach, Courtney Kessel, is Amanda Kessel's sister-in-law. Had Kessel been available as a free agent, Boston certainly would have jumped.
But the crafty Sauvageau made that situation more interesting by announcing Kessel’s name at pick 41.
In the press conference afterward, she said, “The first few picks you go with needs, and you go with the best player available, so I was surprised…” But she deflected the question about Boreen and Kessel, two American players, saying, “I’m surprised about the question actually because last year we were pleased to select Maureen Murphy and when you look at our roster we have players from different parts of the world.”
At this point, there's no guarantee Kessel will even play . It seems more likely that she will return to the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins where she worked last season. But until that announcement is formally made one way or another PWHL observers have been working out potential trades between Boston and Montreal .
On one hand, Kessel hasn’t played long stretches of hockey in the last few years, but is a dynamic forward who can likely still contribute offensively to any lineup, so she can’t be given away for a fourth-line player. On the other, if she is unwilling to play for Montreal, her trade value is highly diminished. This leaves Montreal with a dilemma, but one that they would be well-served to solve rather than lose the opportunity to add a player to their lineup for the upcoming season.
The Boston roster is also thinner at forward than on defense. However, with Hannah Bilka joining the offense, it wouldn’t be impossible to see GM Danielle Marmer willing to trade either Sophie Shirley or Loren Gabel (also scoring specialists) to acquire Kessel. But should they? Salary will be a major consideration as every trade in the PWHL needs to be dollar out for dollar in. Alternatively, leaving Kessel off an opponent’s team might be worth something in itself. This might turn out to be a waiting game once camps open and the teams see how their lines work on the ice. If Boston sees a need for the dangerous Kessel, they might consider offering Sauvageau a mid-level forward like Theresa Schafzahl or Taylor Girard, if Montreal has the cap space.
Watching these unique drafted players’ situations play out will reveal whether these two fascinating gambles have paid off for PWHL Montreal – and for Minnesota and Boston as well.
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