The Minnesota Frost have been the gold standard of the PWHL since its inception, capturing back-to-back Walter Cup titles in the league's first two seasons. Their secret recipe? Keeping a championship core intact from day one. Stars like Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek, Maddie Rooney, Nicole Hensley, and Grace Zumwinkle have formed the backbone of this dynasty.

But the winds of change are blowing. With another round of expansion on the horizon, the Frost face their toughest challenge yet: keeping that core together for the 2026-27 season.

Minnesota has already shown they're masters of roster management. They've added key pieces like Britta Curl-Salemme and Kendall Cooper while navigating departures of players like Sophie Jaques and Claire Thompson. Last season, they somehow held onto 2025-26 PWHL leading scorer Kelly Pannek and 2024 Rookie of the Year Grace Zumwinkle, both of whom were available to expansion teams Seattle and Vancouver. But this time around, the math might not work in their favor.

The clock is ticking. With only a few short days to decide who to protect and then sign them, the Frost are staring down a roster crunch. Heading into this offseason, Heise, Pannek, Stecklein, Zumwinkle, Hensley, and Coyne Schofield are all pending free agents. That's six elite players with uncertain futures.

Last year, Minnesota protected Heise, Coyne Schofield, and Stecklein, and it's highly likely they'll go that route again. But there's a catch: to protect that trio, they'll need to sign them immediately when Phase 1 of the expansion process begins on May 28. That's a tight window for negotiations.

Here's where it gets really interesting. Protecting those three would leave Pannek—the league's leading scorer—and Zumwinkle—a former Rookie of the Year who tied for fifth in league scoring this season—exposed. Both players made under $100,000 this season, making them prime targets for Expansion Franchise Offers. These binding offers from one of the four proposed expansion teams would instantly force one or both players to a new market. The silver lining for them? A guaranteed $100,000 contract plus a $20,000 bonus.

For Minnesota, there's no easy way out. Their championship window is wide open, but the expansion draft could slam it shut. How they navigate these next few weeks will define not just their 2026-27 season, but the future of their dynasty.