What’s one team’s loss is another team’s gain, and that is certainly the case for the Colorado Mammoth. The Mammoth signed the cream of the free agent crop when they added Callum Crawford to their roster. Crawford, who has been one of the top scorers on the Swarm for years, will not make the trip to Georgia to join the newly relocated team.
What is the Swarm’s loss is the Mammoth’s gain, and it is a Mammoth gain. Crawford is one of many Swarm elite players to leave in recent years, including Logan Schuss, Evan Kirk, and Ryan Benesch. However, Colorado gains a tremendous offensive player to an already strong offense.
The Mammoth are already loaded with offensive talent. Colorado was second in the NLL’s western conference with 212 goals, and they trailed just Edmonton and Toronto overall in goals scored all season.
Adam Jones broke out last season with 93 points, good for eighth in the league. He missed two games due to injury and still surpassed his previous high by 18 points. John Grant Jr. was 12th in the league with 91 points. He’s been historically one of the best offensive players in NLL history.
If just those two weren’t enough, Drew Westervelt, if he re-signs, and second year player Eli McLaughlin make up the rest of what could be one of the best offenses in the league.
Crawford was injured midway through last season and played in just 12 games where he accumulated 53 points. Before that, Crawford has seen five straight seasons of 70 points or more, and in four of those seasons picked up more than 80 points.
Crawford was drafted by Calgary and he saw time in San Jose, Chicago, and Edmonton before joining Minnesota, where he broke out. He has become one of the faces of the Swarm over the past few years, but fans of the team are accustomed to losing their top players to trade or free agency.
The Mammoth have been able to make splashes throughout the years, trading for Grant Jr. and Westervelt. They’ve also been able to build through the draft with selections such as Jones, McLaughlin, and Dillon Ward.
Colorado is looking to contend in 2016 in a very tough western conference that includes the champion Rush, a rebuilding Calgary team and a Vancouver team that has been actively changing all offseason.
The Mammoth are going to score goals in 2016. Their offense will be one of the top notch scoring units in the western conference, and Crawford just adds to that.
