One of the more active teams so far in the NLL Off-Season has been the Buffalo Bandits, who are going forward with new GM Steve Dietrich. It appears that Dietrich is trying to make his mark, already making many moves to retain players and acquire new ones. Today we’re going to be taking a look at those views and I’ll give you my spin on each of them.
On offense the Bandits have added some secondary talent that they desperately needed last year. Obviously the biggest name of the bunch is Shawn Williams, who was acquired through trade form the Swarm. Williams 68 points from last season would have helped this team a ton. I know he’s up there in age, but he should have a few more years in him. When you factor in that Buffalo lost very little in the trade (in reality they just moved down two spots in a weak draft) it was an excellent start for Dietrich as the Bandits’ GM.
Of course the Bandits do have a reputation for being older, and rightfully so. Tavares, Giles, and Kelusky were half the offensive unit, and all are getting up there in age. The Bandits seem to be trying to balance that out with the acquisition of two other forwards. Nick Cotter was signed as a free agent after sitting out last season for the Wings. Cotter was an excellent forward for the Blazers who did the dirty work too. The fact that he’s scored 30 or more points in his last two NLL seasons doesn’t hurt either. The Bandits also brought back Jamie Rooney to the organization through a trade with Toronto. Rooney is another player who does the dirty work and can put in some goals too. Both are under 30 and are nice under the radar pickups.
The Bandits have also brought in two young defenders as well. Brendan Doran was acquired through the Swarm trade while Glenn Bryan was brought in through the Toronto trade. Both are young players who the Bandits appear to think will fit in the system quite well. I think this means trouble for some of the Bandits defenders from last season. Both Daryl Gibson and Steve Priolo are free agents. I would expect one or both to not be on the roster next season.
The Bandits lost one goalie, but kept the one most would have chosen. Michael Thompson decided to call it quits and retire, with most fans waving him a respectful goodbye. It seems like his time has passed as the Bandits goaltender, and Anthony Cosmo is here to take the mantle. If you’ve read my work this off-season, you can tell that I’m quite optimistic about Cosmo. Towards the end of the season, once the rust was gone, he was really on his game. I’m expecting that this season. A healthy Cosmo should mean the Bandits are solid in net. I would not be surprised if the Bandits bring back Angus Goodleaf to be the backup as well.
The Bandits other franchise player besides Cosmo had some people scratching their heads a tad. The Bandits brought back Tracey Kelusky after a rather lackluster year. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Tracey Kelusky. However, I am not a fan of this move. The Bandits need to turn a new leaf, get younger. Why they kept a player that seemed to be invisible for a large portion of last season is beyond me. Of all the moves, this is the only one I truly question so far.
Of course the Bandits off-season is far from over. There are still many questions to be answered. Will the new offensive acquisitions spell the end of Kevin Buchanan’s time in Buffalo? Are there more trades to come in Buffalo? And one of the biggest, will Johnny be back for another year in Banditland? We still have just begun, with the season still being a few months away. Whatever the case, there’s always something stirring in the off-season. With the draft still about a month away and the track record of Dietrich so far, I’d expect some more news.
How do you feel about the Bandits season so far? Now its time for you to play GM. Would you of made the moves they have, or tried to do something else? Make sure to comment below on your ideas for the Bandits and whether or not you’ve liked the moves of the new GM so far.
