Trade Will Help Toronto Now And Into The Future While Ottawa Takes On Age And Risk

The Toronto Sceptres have traded Jocelyne Larocque and Victoria Bach to the Ottawa Charge in exchange for Hayley Scamurra and Savannah Harmon. While Larocque will most definitely be a loss short term, in the long run this will be a positive trade for the Sceptres.

Ottawa is getting a player with big game experience in Larocque, who in past years, has shown she can log large amounts of ice time with success. Along with her play off the ice, Larocque brings the Charge another veteran voice to the room, and a player who in her time with Toronto was a resource for younger players.

The 36-year-old, while still being a high end defender has struggled this season for the Sceptres. Troy Ryan had repeatedly said he wanted to see more out of the top pairing of Larocque and Fast.

Part of this is most likely due to the increased speed at which we are seeing the women in the PWHL play, as the league has trended younger and faster this season.

A change of scenery may help Larocque find her top form once again, but like every player, age does catch up to you eventually.

As for Victoria Bach, it’s hard to judge her limited sample size in Toronto. After joining the team late in February, Bach has not carved out a role for herself on the team and struggled to produce offensively.

In 22 games with the Sceptres, Bach only had six points (three goals and three assists), while being moved from the top line to the bottom last season. Bach still has a lot of upside in her game and with a change of scenery could find the promise from her national team days.

In return, the Sceptres are getting a staple of Team USA's back end in Savannah Harmon. Harmon through her career has shown that at every level she can help contribute offensively.

She is a player with a high hockey IQ who can move the puck up the ice. Her mobility also allows her to create more space deeper in the offensive zone, creating opportunities for the other players on the ice. This year her offensive game has been put on the backburner as she has taken on more defensive responsibility, helping Jincy Roese find her offensive game this year.

If she is paired with Fast, her offensive output will likely improve as she will have to worry less about covering defensively.

In 24 games with the Charge last season Harmon managed to score 12 points while being a minus two. The other piece returning to Toronto in Hayley Scamurra will look to add more depth scoring to a team that desperately needs it.

Throughout her long career Scamurra has scored at every level. Since joining Ottawa in the PWHL she has struggled to find offensive consistency, but that may be due to her falling down the lineup due to the many changes to Ottawa's roster. Toronto will hope she can find her previous form.

Overall, this is a strong trade for Toronto, and that’s saying something considering they are giving up Jocelyn Larcoque. Toronto is getting more offensive from the blue line and stonger in their forward core as they exchange struggling forwards with the Charge.

In the end, what makes the difference in favour of the Sceptres is that both Scamurra and Harmon will impact Toronto for years to come, while making them a better team now.