Harper Grant sat alone in the empty Fleet arena, the silence pressing against her ears like the hush before a penalty shot. The overhead lights were off, leaving only emergency strips casting long shadows across the ice. Her reflection stared back from the glass—number 18 jersey still on her back, hair loose, eyes tired from sleepless nights.

She had 48 hours.

Forty-eight hours to decide if she would waive the clause and accept the trade to Minnesota, or veto it and stay in ...