Lou Orlando
An already shorthanded New York Sirens forward group suffered another major blow Tuesday, when star rookie Kristyna Kaltounkova was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).
Kaltounkova missed New York’s last two games with a lower-body injury and will be sidelined for at least three more. The 2025 No. 1 overall pick must spend a minimum of 21 days on LTIR, per PWHL rules. Her designation is retroactive to March 24; New York can activate her at any time after April 15.
Kaltounkova leads the Sirens with 11 goals in 21 games. It’s just the latest blow for a slumping offense that lost its second-leading scorer, Taylor Girard, to a season-ending knee injury on March 15. New York managed four goals in three games since Girard’s injury — Kaltounkova was inactive for two.
In a corresponding move, New York activated rookie defender Nicole Vallario and signed forwards Sarah Bujold and Kira Juodikis to reserve contracts. The bigger reinforcements, though, came before the PWHL’s March 30 trade deadline.
General manager Pascal Daoust signed Clair DeGeorge in the wake of Girard’s injury, and acquired Denisa Křížová from the Minnesota Frost on Monday in exchange for defender Jincy Roese.
Křížová will make her Sirens debut against her former team Wednesday as New York hosts Minnesota at Prudential Center.
What’s next for Sirens after Křížová trade, depth additions
Křížová, DeGeorge add ‘stability’ to New York forward group
Křížová and DeGeorge don’t have the same offensive upside as Kaltounkova or Girard, but both are valuable additions to New York’s forward group nonetheless.
“Both have a great deal of experience to be able to offer our team,” Sirens coach Greg Fargo said Tuesday after a team practice at Madison Square Garden. “We have a younger roster — especially that forward group is a young group — and so to bring in players like Clair and Denisa, I think they offer a little bit of stability in our lineup.”
The 31-year-old Křížová brings over ample postseason experience as a two-time Walter Cup champion with the Frost in 2024 and 2025. DeGeorge (26) appeared in all 10 games of Minnesota’s 2024 championship run, and helped the Montreal Victoire to the League’s best regular-season record (54 points) in 2024-25.
“They’ve played in the League before. They’ve played on winning teams before,” Fargo continued. “They know what it takes to win.”
New York shouldn’t expect much offense out of DeGeorge, who has yet to record a goal in 79 career PWHL games between the regular season and playoffs. However, the 5-foot-11 forward adds size and versatility to the bottom six.
“Clair can play wing or center, which we like. Really strong down the middle. Has a physical presence to her game,” Fargo noted.
DeGeorge played center Saturday, winning one of four faceoffs in 11:39 of ice time during a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Victoire. With Kaltounkova sidelined for at least two more weeks, she should continue to see an expanded role on the third line.
In Křížová’s case, the Sirens are hoping to tap into her offensive game. The Czech native slotted in at left wing on New York’s second line at practice Tuesday, joining Kristin O’Neill and Paetyn Levis.
“Denisa, I think a little more offensive ceiling with her that we’re going to put her in a role where she can contribute offensively right away for us,” Fargo affirmed.
Křížová scored once in 17 games with Minnesota this season, shooting a lowly 3.2 percent, but she posted career highs with four goals and nine points in 2024-25. Plus, her gritty playstyle aligns well with New York’s aggressive, physical forecheck.
Nicole Vallario projected for larger third-pair role
With ample depth on the blue line, the Sirens could afford to move a bottom-pair defender in Roese at the deadline. For now, it appears Vallario will step into Roese’s spot on the third pair.
The left-shot Vallario skated on the right side of Lauren Bernard at practice Tuesday, while rookie defender Dayle Ross joined reserve defender Olivia Knowles on New York’s extra pairing.
Ross has played in all 13 games since being activated from LTIR on Jan. 6, but the fourth-round pick (No. 25 overall) logged under a minute in each of her last two outings. Vallario’s 11:07 average time on ice (ATOI) nearly doubles Ross’ 5:40, and she’s expected to take on an even larger role with Roese’s departure.
Vallario enjoyed a memorable PWHL debut, scoring the game-opening goal in New York’s home opener on Nov. 29 — a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Goldeneyes. She recorded two points (one goal, one assist) and a plus-two rating in four games this season.
Ross might still factor into New York’s plans this season, but Vallario appears to have the edge on the depth chart.
Sirens add depth with two reserve forwards
It will likely take another significant injury for Bujold or Juodikis to earn a promotion to New York’s active roster. Still, that depth is increasingly valuable now that the PWHL’s roster freeze prevents the Sirens from adding any players outside the organization for the remainder of 2025-26.
New York entered the season with 13 forwards, all of whom made the active roster out of training camp. With no reserve forwards to draw from, injuries occasionally forced the Sirens to dress a defender up front — and even skate just 11 forwards in a 5-2 loss to Vancouver on March 25.
That’s a predicament the Sirens can no longer afford in the midst of a playoff race that could come down to a single point.
Bujold notched three goals and four points in 21 games with the Victoire in 2024, before spending two seasons in the SDHL with Lulea HF. Juodikis played professionally in Switzerland this season after the Sirens cut her at training camp in November.
In an ideal world, New York won’t have to rely on reserve forwards down the stretch — but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
