The Boston Fleet released their list of three protected players heading into PWHL expansion this week, and captain Hilary Knight was not among them. One of the most-decorated players in the history of the sport, Knight, 35, was named a finalist for this year’s PWHL MVP award after finishing the regular season tied for the league scoring lead with 29 points in 30 games. But the Fleet opted to leave her open to poaching by the league’s expansion teams, Seattle and Vancouver, instead protecting defender Megan Keller, goaltender Aerin Frankel, and forward Alina Müller. The move comes as a surprise to many, though Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer said in May that a new, younger leader could be in line to take the reins. “After seeing how Hilary played this season, it feels like she could play for another three, four, or five years,” Marmer said following the regular season. “I’m not ready to take her out of the equation, but for Alina, she’s absolutely a player who you can build a team around.” Under the league’s expansion guidelines, the original six teams will each lose four players during a two-phase process. A signing period runs from Wednesday to Sunday, followed by an expansion draft on Monday. Each of the existing six teams was allowed to protect up to three players Tuesday and can protect a fourth once it loses two from its roster. Seattle and Vancouver can each add up to five free agents — including players on contracts expiring after this past season — during the signing period. The teams will then use the expansion draft to fill the rest of their initial 12-player rosters. Seattle will likely target Knight during the signing period, given that she is among the best available players and that former Fleet assistant general manager Meghan Turner was recently named the GM in Seattle. Turner has an intimate familiarity with the Fleet’s roster, which Marmer said could be a concern during the expansion process. “There are players that I thought maybe would fly under the radar in an expansion situation, but they won’t fly under Meghan’s radar,” Marmer told the Globe last week. Knight, however, is not a player who could fly under anyone’s radar. She has won four Olympic medals (3 silver, 1 gold) and 15 World Championship medals (5 silver, 10 gold) with Team USA since her debut in 2006, and she holds the World Championship tournament records for goals, assists, and points. Knight announced in May she plans to make the 2026 Milan Olympics her fifth and final Games, though she said she plans to continue competing in the PWHL after 2026. Neither Knight nor the Fleet have commented on the decision to leave her unprotected. Frankel, the Fleet’s top option in net, and Keller, their No. 1 defender, were locks to be on the protection list. Frankel was one of the top goaltenders in the league in each of the first two seasons, posting a .921 save percentage in 2024-25 for second in the league behind Montreal’s Ann-Renee Desbiens. Her 591 saves this past season were tops in the league, as were her time on ice and shots faced. Keller, who has been an assistant captain the past two seasons, had 13 points (five goals, eight assists) this past season, sixth among defenders. She was one of the more physical players in the league, with 49 hits (third among all skaters).