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3 pressing questions for Boston Fleet after a crushing end to 2024-25 season
"We were hoping we'd be preparing for a game today or tomorrow, and instead, we're left here to reflect on this year.”
A year removed from coming just a game short in the inaugural Walter Cup Final, the Boston Fleet were run aground before the PWHL postseason could even get underway.
Boston was in control of its own destiny entering Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Minnesota Frost, with the Fleet needing just a single point in the standings to punch their ticket to the playoffs.
A win of any kind would have locked Boston into a top-four spot in the PWHL standings, with even a shootout loss securing that point.
Instead, the Fleet were blown out by Minnesota, 8-1, at Tsongas Center. With the Fleet losing and the Ottawa Charge defeating the Toronto Sceptres that same day, Boston, Ottawa, and Toronto were all tied for third place in the standings with 44 points.
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But, the Fleet found themselves on the outside looking in due to having fewer regulation wins (nine) when compared to Minnesota (10) and Ottawa (12).
“We were in third place heading into the final game of the regular season, and we worked incredibly hard to put ourselves in a position to control our own destiny,” Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer said Wednesday. “And that’s why this hurts as much as it does. We were hoping we’d be preparing for a game today or tomorrow, and instead, we’re left here to reflect on this year.”
It’s a disheartening end to a season where the Fleet were seemingly poised to go on another deep run — especially with star forward Hilary Knight and elite netminder Aerin Frankel leading the charge.
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“It’s especially sad because I really thought we had a group that could have went all the way, and unfortunately we’re not,” Fleet coach Courtney Kessel added.
More challenges await for the Fleet ahead of what stands to be a busy offseason. Here are three pressing questions facing Boston’s PWHL team.
How will the expansion draft impact Boston’s roster?
Marmer was candid when asked what the Fleet needed to target this offseason — be it in free agency, the draft, or the trade market.
“We still need to add a skating, puck-moving defenseman,” Marmer said. “That was a priority for us last draft, and I think we still can improve there. And we had Hillary and [Susanna] Tapani, the two who were really putting the puck in the net.
“It’s hard to come by goalscorers in this league, as we know. But to be able to take some of the pressure off of those two and add some complimentary or depth scoring.”
But Marmer and every other GM in the PWHL are also bracing for an expansion draft that will sap rosters of some star talent.
The PWHL is expanding by two teams — Seattle and Vancouver — ahead of the league’s third season. An expansion draft is set to take place before the PWHL Draft on June 24.
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While the writing is on the wall that the Fleet will lose some established talent this summer, Marmer added that the PWHL has yet to announce how the expansion draft will work.
“No, I don’t know. Still waiting to hear,” Marmer said. “I think these conversations are happening between the league and the Players’ Association, but GMs have not heard how it’s gonna affect our rosters yet.”
The Fleet have several high-end scorers on the roster between Knight, Alina Müller, Tapani, and Hannah Bilka, along with a poised blueliner in Megan Keller.
But Boston’s depth in net could be altered as a result of the expansion draft. While Frankel is expected to earn the lion’s share of reps in 2025-26, the team’s backup netminders in Emma Söderberg and Klára Peslarová could be targeted in the expansion draft.
Peslarová sported a .937 save percentage with a shutout over four games this season, while Soderberg went 1-2-1 with an .884 save percentage over four games.
“I think it’s being totally prepared and totally flexible,” Marmer said of how to prepare for the expansion draft. “We don’t know what is going to happen and and how it’s going to alter our roster. But Klára was incredible.
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“She came to work every day to get better and to make her teammates better. …If we have the opportunity to have her on our team next year — we would be thrilled, we’d be really excited. But we’ll see how things go.”
Will the Fleet keep playing in Lowell?
One thing worth monitoring this offseason is where the Fleet plan on playing in 2025-26 as their full-time venue.
“I don’t know where we’re at with that, to be totally honest,” Marmer said when asked if the team was exploring any other regular venues beyond Lowell.
As of early March, the Fleet ranked fifth among the six PWHL teams in total attendance. According to The Boston Globe’s Emma Healy, the Fleet had averaged 4,260 fans per game by the start of March, with Tsongas Center seating 6,500 for hockey games.
Moving to a more central location closer to Boston could presumably lead to strong attendance numbers — especially when it comes to attracting more hockey fans from the South Shore.
Still, Marmer stressed that the Fleet have been thrilled with the support that they have received in Lowell.
“We love it at the Tsongas Center. The fans are incredible. … We don’t have a 10,000-seat facility, like [Toronto’s] Coca-Cola [Coliseum] or [Montreal’s] Place Bell. But, man, it feels like it when we’re in there.
“Like our fans are so loud, they’re so supportive to see. … My favorite thing to do before the game is to walk around the concourse and just interact with fans and see people. And it really feels like such a tight-knit community.
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“And I think that’s something that’s so special. Our players love it, our team loves it. We feel it. And we’re really privileged to be able to play there. So, yeah, it’s been an awesome home for us.”
The Fleet held two games at Boston University’s Agganis Arena in March, with both matchups selling out.
While Amy Scheer, PWHL’s executive vice president of business operations, told Healy that the games at Agganis weren’t a sign of the league looking to move the Fleet closer to Boston, those strong attendance numbers were encouraging for a team that already boasts plenty of star power in a hockey-focused market.
“It’s just us continuing to test and learn and understand where we fit in in each market, and ultimately what is best for the team,” Scheer said. “We’ll play our two games there, see how they do, and then take our learnings back and continue to think about what future years look like.”
Marmer said she was encouraged to see the turnout in Boston during the Fleet’s two games at Agganis — but added that it’s not a necessity for the Fleet to call the city home in the years ahead.
“I don’t think it’s a requirement or imperative that we’re in Boston,” Marmer said. “I do think — it was great when we played at Agganis. People on the T with their Fleet gear on, and being able to draw from maybe a different area, the South Shore, or people who maybe otherwise couldn’t get to Lowell.
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“But I don’t think it impacts our organization or the fans. I expect them to show up, regardless of where we play, and it was an awesome showing — both in Lowell and at Agganis this season.”
Who else will step up as a franchise fixture?
The Fleet’s success over the last few years have been rooted in the play of stars like Knight (29 points) and Frankel (.924 save percentage).
But even if Marmer stressed that the Fleet believe that Knight, 35, can still maintain her elite play moving forward, Boston will need more skaters to entrench themselves as a franchise fixtures moving forward.
Müller — selected third overall by the Fleet in the inaugural PWHL Draft — stands as a top candidate. The 27-year-old winger appeared in 26 games with the Fleet in 2024-25, scoring seven goals and posting 19 total points.
“I think after seeing how Hillary played this season, it feels like she could play for another three, four or five years. So, I’m not ready to take her out of the equation,” Marmer said. “But for Alina, yeah, she’s absolutely a player who you can build a team around.
“She just sees the ice and the game in a way a lot of players don’t see. She’s so smart, and every time she’s out there, she makes an impact.”
The Fleet are also banking on a strong second season from Bilka, who scored 11 points in 16 games in her rookie campaign.
Health will be a priority for both Bilka and Müller moving forward.
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The Fleet paid the price during the PWHL’s various stoppages in the schedule for international competition. Bilka missed months after getting hurt during the Rivalry Series against Canada in February, while both Müller and Frankel suffered injuries during the World Championships.
Müller missed Boston’s final three games of the regular season as a result, while Frankel missed two games in April before returning for the Fleet’s regular-season finale — where she was knocked for three goals against in the first period before getting pulled against Minnesota.
“There’s five players in front of her that have got to show up, as well,” Kessel said of Frankel. “And unfortunately, I don’t think we showed up in the first 10 minutes. And when you’re coming back from an injury, especially being a goalie, you need a team that’s in front of you.”
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