The rumour mill is in overdrive but the paper trail is pretty thin.
Players, it appears, are just not ready to ink deals yet and that is causing more than a few headaches for Steel chief executive Julie Paterson.
It is her job to negotiate with the players and get commitments for next season, but progress has been glacial.
"It is taking a lot longer than I've ever experienced before," Paterson said.
"I think, and this is across the board, players aren't in any hurry to sign contracts. I've certainly had indications that players are looking to return to the franchise but we haven't actually had those contracts finalised and signed off yet.
"If I'm completely honest, I'd be feeling a lot more comfortable [if we had signed some players]. But I'm also comforted by the fact, from the discussions I've had with other franchises, they are all in exactly the same position."
Rumours of a mass player exodus began doing the rounds shortly after the Steel made the controversial decision to advertise for a coach.
Long-serving coach Robyn Broughton decided against reapplying and was instead appointed coach of the struggling Central Pulse, sparking more speculation players loyal to her would follow her north.
There have been suggestions the Selby-Rickit sisters, Te Huinga Reo and Te Paea, Silver Ferns wing attack Liana Leota and perhaps even midcourter Erika Burgess might make the move.
Potentially, the most damaging report is that star defender Leana de Bruin is poised to return to the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic.
De Bruin had an outstanding season and was named joint ANZ Championship most valuable player with Queensland Firebirds shooter Natalie Medhurst.
"I have spoken to them [Magic] but I haven't made a decision yet because I've just been focusing on the world championships," de Bruin told the Otago Daily Times.
"There is some time up our sleeves so I'll probably make a decision after the worlds. But even if Robyn was still the coach I'd still have the same questions about what is best for myself and my family. I have a little toddler that I have to think about and there are many other things to look at rather than the coaching situation."
Paterson did not sound particularly confident when asked if the towering goal keep would return for a third season with the Steel.
"We are still negotiating with Leana," she said earlier this week.
"It is difficult to say at this stage."
As for the likes of other high-profile players such as Natasha Chokljat, Daneka Wipiiti, Paula Griffin, Wendy Frew and Sheryl Scanlan, Paterson said negotiations were ongoing.
"We have had conversations with a number of players but I don't want to go into naming individual players at this stage."
Paterson would not put a timeline on when the franchise hoped to make some announcements regarding players, other than to say it had until October to put a competitive squad together.
Suggestions a good chunk of the Steel squad might pop up at the Pulse next year, though, seem overplayed.
The debt-laden franchise is considering a shift to New Plymouth as Netball New Zealand looks for ways to recoup some of the estimated $700,000 debt held by the franchise.
But New Plymouth Mayor Harry Duynhoven has said the council would not be interested in providing a base for the Pulse if the city was going to be saddled with the debt.
And there are other major stumbling blocks. New Plymouth does not have an international airport and TSB Stadium would need a substantial upgrade to meet the needs of the broadcaster and ANZ Championship standards.
