The final two names who could appear on an EFO list are free agent defenders Claire Thompson and Lee Stecklein. Stecklein remains one of the best defenders in the world, primarily for her shutdown capabilities. She has value that supersedes the scoring race, although Stecklein still finished 8th in defensive scoring this season. As a free agent, she could still follow Coyne Schofield or Knight this year to a new home whether it’s via an EFO or not. Or she could stay in Minnesota, which is highly likely. Claire Thompson is the highest scoring free agent defender on the market. She was a client of Las Vegas GM Dominique DiDia at CAA Sports, and there’s obviously a connection to Troy Ryan through Team Canada in San Jose. There’s also Hamilton, where GM Meghan Duggan knows the value of a star defender, and could pitch Thompson to come home. It might take an EFO level contract to keep Thompson in the league at all. Thompson’s future remains in question as she, at some point, intends to finish her medical training and become a practicing doctor. Will she continue to play if the salary is right? Or is she moving on regardless? She’s one of few defenders on the market who could be in consideration for this, and it might be the level of salary that keeps her in the game for a few more seasons.
