The New York Sirens announced that rookie of the year contender Kristýna Kaltounková is on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), retroactive to March 24. Without Kaltounková, which players need to step up their offensive games to help the Sirens snag a playoff spot?

Big shoes to fill

This news represents a tough loss for a team fighting for a playoff spot with only seven games to go. Kaltounková is third in the league in goals (11) and fourth in shots (81). On the Sirens, she sits third in points and in hits. She has two power play goals and two game-winning goals.

However, she hasn’t registered a point since before the Olympics. The team has won only one game since then, a decisive 6–2 win over the Ottawa Charge on March 8. That game shows that the team can produce offence even when Kaltounková’s not contributing points.

Her play was still noticeable during the post-Olympics stretch, until her last game on March 18. She put up multiple shots and hits and played an average of 19:18 per game. The team will feel her absence up and down the ice.

The obvious answers: Casey O’Brien and Sarah Fillier

The two Sirens players ahead of Kaltounková in the standings are Casey O’Brien and Sarah Fillier, with 16 points apiece. O’Brien was out with an injury for a couple of games in March. Back in the lineup since March 25, she has already contributed a goal and an assist. She’ll need to maintain or improve upon her 0.76-points-per-game pace and continue to produce on the power play.

Fillier had a goal drought earlier in the season, but has four goals in the last five games. That’s the Sarah Fillier the team will need in order to clinch a playoff spot. Behind only Kaltounková, she has the most shots (77) on the team—23 more than the next player, Cherkowski. Her shooting percentage, at only 6.5% (compare 12.4% last season), will need to improve. It’s bound to—she has one of the wickedest shots in the league.

A couple of Canadian rookies: Anne Cherkowski and Maddi Wheeler

Cherkowski herself has an unfortunately low shooting percentage of 3.7%. The forward from Coldstream, British Columbia, finished her senior year at Clarkson University with 45 points in 40 games. For the Sirens, she has eight points on the season and plays top-line minutes. She’s played with pretty much every top-nine forward and lined up primarily with Kaltounková and Girard in March. With both those players on LTIR, who can she quickly develop chemistry with for this final stretch?

Wheeler, from Erinsville, Ontario, was the third pick in the fourth round of the 2025 PWHL draft. She started her pro career with three assists in her first game and has tallied 10 points in 22 games. She leads the team in hits and is second among rookies, with 41. With her speed and relentlessness, she’s been solid on the second or third line all season.

Veteran forwards: Kristin O’Neill and Denisa Křížová

Both acquired through trades, O’Neill (age 27) and Křížová (age 31) are some of the only players on the Sirens who’ve been in the league since it began.

O’Neill has brought noticeable speed and does a bit of everything. Good on special teams, she’s contributed two power play goals and one shorthanded goal. She’s strong in the face-off dot, with a win percentage of 57.0%. O’Neill is also among the team’s leaders in shots, hits, and blocked shots. If she can keep it up and start adding more points, the future will look brighter for her team.

Křížová was traded at the trade deadline and has yet to suit up for the Sirens, but she’s a two-time Walter Cup champion with 20 points across 77 career games. A hard-working winger who’s a leader on the Czech national team, Křížová will bring depth and experience to a lineup full of players experiencing the ups and downs of their first pro season.

Offensive blueliners: Jaime Bourbonnais and Allyson Simpson

Bourbonnais sits tied for fourth in points on the team, with 10, and is second in both hits and time on ice per game. She’s stepped up offensively in the last month, with five assists in five games (compared to a goal and four assists in her first 17 games this season). Her first season in the league was her most offensive yet—five goals and eight assists in 24 games. If Bourbonnais can unlock some of that again, New York will benefit.

Simpson has also contributed offensively of late, recording two power play goals in March. She and Jincy Roese alternated on the second power play unit with Bourbonnais. With Roese now traded to Minnesota, Simpson will probably have that spot to herself. Against Seattle on March 25, she played nearly 26 minutes as New York tried to mount a comeback from a 3–0 deficit in the first period.

One game at a time

The Sirens face the Minnesota Frost on Wednesday, April 1. The Frost are the highest-scoring team in the league, but they’re coming off two regulation losses. If New York can come out as they did against Montréal on March 28 but maintain that energy for a full 60 minutes, they may be able to get three points closer to a playoff spot.

And with the sold-out game at Madison Square Garden coming up on Saturday, April 4, New York will want to build momentum and use the energy of a home crowd of over 18,000.