In the last 13 months the National Lacrosse League has had a lot of paperwork moving across their desk.
In July of 2014, news breaks of the Philadelphia Wings leaving Philadelphia after 28 years to relocate to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. Then we had rumors of the Minnesota Swarm moving to Georgia, and Edmonton Rush going to Saskatchewan. Both of these came true.
On May 22 the Swarm announced they would be relocating to Georgia, and on July 20 the 2015 NLL Champions, the Edmonton Rush announced they are moving to Saskatchewan. And now the player who was labeled the most prized possession of free agency is on the move.
The Colorado Mammoth inked 10-year veteran Callum Crawford to a three-year deal. Crawford, who started his NLL career in 2006 with Calgary, also had one-year stops in San Jose, Chicago, and Edmonton before landing in the Twin Cities in 2010. Crawford has compiled 208 goals, 368 assists in just 135 games; that’s an average of 4.26 points a game. During his six years in Minnesota, Crawford had five seasons of 70-plus points until injuries limited him to 12 games this season, but he still registered 19 goals, 34 assists for 53 points (4.41 avg).
Putting Crawford into the offensive mix of the Mammoth makes them very lethal. Adam Jones (51 G, 93 PTS), John Grant Jr.(34 G, 91 PTS), Drew Westervelt (26 G, 68 PTS), and Jeremy Noble in only nine games (13 G, 39 PTS).
This move by the Swarm now puts Miles Thompson as the face of the franchise. The Swarm also hold the #1, 3, 5, and 6 picks in the first round, and it seems the Swarm may go the Thompson route again, taking the younger brother Lyle Thompson. Then the question is, Who do you take at 3, 5, and 6?? That question will be answered on September 28 at 7 pm.
The acquisition of Crawford by the Mammoth was huge, as they do not have a pick until the fourth round (32nd overall). As far as what it means for the Swarm, with them having four of the first six picks it will free up a roster spot for one of the top four picks. The Swarm have done this year after year, trading away or letting players sign elsewhere. For example, Ryan Benesch, Andrew Suitor, and now Callum Crawford.
Hopefully the brain trust knows something the fans don’t, and with the picks in this year’s draft this could be a team to cause some problems or we could see these players moving to yet another team.
