I was wondering why teams couldn't trade draft picks but turns out the reasoning makes a lot of sense:
One limiting factor on the PWHL trade front is the fact that the trading of draft picks is still prohibited. Draft picks can be traded only on draft day. Why? The primary reason is because neither teams, nor the league, know exactly what the draft will look like. Will there be six rounds? Seven? Five? What will the draft order be? Will a first round pick traded by a top team be the 8th overall selection, or the 12th? Will expansion teams pick at the top of each round, or like last season, the bottom? Will there be two expansion teams or four? Until the league can ensure a consistent draft structure year over year, picks are a currency that will remain off the table.