With the PWHL’s six-phase expansion roster building process coming to an end, it’s clear the league’s newest teams are the biggest winners of the offseason.Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose all stocked their inaugural rosters with elite talent, thanks to a set of rules — and an entry draft order — that heavily favored expansion teams over the PWHL’s eight existing clubs.Twenty-five Olympians, including eight American gold medalists, were either drafted or signed by one of the PWHL’s four new clubs. The other eight teams, meanwhile, suffered major losses, including the departure of some of their franchise cornerstones.Some teams — even the existing franchises — have come out the other side looking better than others. With most of the big players off the free agency board, it’s time to try to make sense of it all.No-doubt winnersVancouver GoldeneyesWhile most teams are going through another summer of roster turnover, Vancouver has retained most of its talented core, including captain Ashton Bell and Defender of the Year finalist Sophie Jaques, forwards Sarah Nurse, Jennifer Gardiner, and Izzy Daniel, and starting goalie Emerance Maschmeyer.On top of that, the Goldeneyes added Caroline Harvey with the first overall pick in last week’s entry draft. Harvey, 23, has already solidified herself as one the best women’s hockey players in the world and will give Vancouver two of the best offensive defenders in the league.Save for losing some defenders — Sydney Bard, Nina Jobst-Smith and Mellissa Channell-Watkins — Vancouver will be able to run back a very similar lineup to last season, only with a major injection of talent from Harvey and a fresh voice behind the bench to replace former head coach Brian Idalski.That — plus bounce-back seasons from Hannah Miller and Tereza Vanišová — should be enough to prove Cara Gardner Morey’s group is capable of much more than it showed in a disappointing inaugural season.PWHL HamiltonFirst-time general manager and American women’s hockey legend Meghan Duggan has built a roster with no obvious holes.Hamilton has a solid defensive core with 22-year-old Rookie of the Year nominee Nicole Gosling, first-round pick and Finland national team defender Nelli Laitinen, and savvy depth additions in Allyson Simpson, Riley Brengman and Zoe Boyd. The group will play in front of a young promising goaltender in Kayle Osborne. The team has an appealing mix of youth, skill and experience at the forward position with Forward of the Year finalist Brianne Jenner, Swiss star Alina Müller, highly versatile forward Emily Clark and power forward Abby Hustler all featuring in the top six.With 2026 Coach of the Year Kris Sparre behind the bench — and forwards such as Peyton Hemp and Alexa Vasko also signed — Hamilton should be a suffocating opponent.Nice job, but…PWHL DetroitIt might seem like a bit of a hot take to have Detroit here given the team is loaded with forwards Hilary Knight, Daryl Watts, Britta Curl-Salemme, Hannah Bilka and Jesse Compher, as well as top-pair defender Cayla Barnes. That’s a core group that has plenty of skill, speed and should have no issue scoring goals next season.However, all that talent at forward came at the expense of the blue line, where three of Detroit’s five signed defenders (Stephanie Markowski, Sydney Bard and Nina Jobst-Smith) averaged fewer than 14 minutes per game. Only Barnes logged over 20 minutes a night.It’s possible some of their young defenders take a leap with more opportunity. As it stands, though, the roster is a bit lopsided. And the fact No. 1 goalie Andrea Brändli — who was incredible at the Olympics, winning a bronze medal for Switzerland and in the SDHL — has yet to play a game the PWHL raises just enough questions to stop Detroit from being a slam dunk.Montreal VictoireDanièle Sauvageau’s work in free agency is nearly enough to push Montreal into the no-doubt winners circle. Retaining Abby Roque, who co-led the playoffs in scoring, and poaching Jessie Eldridge, one of the PWHL’s most productive wingers, on top of signing Emma Maltais is a triumph. Throw in first-round pick Petra Nieminen — a naturally gifted goal scorer from Finland — and Montreal’s forward group looks as talented as ever.However, the Victoire took some pretty big hits on defense, losing Erin Ambrose (a Montreal mainstay and 2024 Defender of the Year) and Nicole Gosling (who became their No. 1 defender down the stretch of the regular season). Top-four defender Amanda Boulier also signed in Boston in free agency, which will put a lot on the shoulders of Kati Tabin and Maggie Flaherty. The hope, of course, is that Ann-Renée Desbiens, who is coming off a record-setting season, will be enough to steady the ship on the back end.PWHL San JoseOutside of Caroline Harvey, there was no player in the draft better suited to be the face of a franchise than Laila Edwards. She has the ability to play at forward and on defense, she’s won at every level with three NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal over her four-year career at the University of Wisconsin, and will bring size (6-foot-1) and a big shot to San Jose’s lineup no matter the position.