This has been one of the more memorable off seasons in Major League Lacrosse recent history, and that’s thanks to a lot of transactions we have seen occur. As we head towards training camp, here is a reminder on what we have seen happen in the off season.
Paul Rabil, Mike Stone, Max Seibald Trade
This has been the ultimate blockbuster of all time in MLL. Paul Rabil, arguably the best player in the league, was sent from Boston to New York. Mike Stone, a speedy midfielder, was also sent to the Lizards. In return the Cannons picked up attackman Max Seibald. This trade was impactful in many ways. First, the Lizards roster is already stacked with offensive players like Ned Crotty, Cody Jamieson, Rob Pannell, and Matt Gibson. Meanwhile, the Cannons have completely rebranded their roster with Will Manny set to become the face off the offense while Seibald adds the veteran presence. At the same time, Brian Karlunas from New York was sent to Ohio and the Cannons added Chad Weidmaier.
Max Schmidt to Denver
This move was pretty underrated as it happened on the night of the MLL draft. It took a third round pick to get him from Ohio, who got deeper at defense after adding Karalunas. Denver lost perennial defenseman of the year Lee Zink to retirement. He led Ohio in most games played during his tenure, so this was a solid addition.
Matt Danowski to Chesapeake
It took two first round picks for the Bayhawks to land Danowski. The Hounds captain led the team with 24 goals last season, and he joins Kevin Crowley as acquisitions the Bayhawks had in reaction to their second-to-last place finish. He joins a roster of Crowley, Drew Westervelt, and Brendan Mundorf.
Ryan Young and Adam Ghitelman to Boston
These were two separate trades but vital to the rebuilding model in Boston. It took a second round pick to get Ryan Young, who broke out two years ago. He will be one of the main attackers with Manny and Seibald. Meanwhile, Ghitelman has been a solid goalie in Charlotte for the past two seasons and will be good competition for Jordan Burke for the starting goalie. He won’t play to start the year, since he coaches Harvard (part of the reason he is now in Boston), but Burke has struggled recently so this was more-than-good-enough insurance.
Dillon Ward for Curtis Dickson
This trade is very interesting for both sides, especially if both players report. The Outlaws already have Jesse Schwartzman in net, but Ward, who plays in Colorado in the NLL and was the MVP of the FIL tournament for Canada, is a more than capable option in net once the indoor season ends. Meanwhile, it sounds unlikely Dickson will report to Florida, but if he does for his second full MLL season, the Launch have a weapon.
Terry Kimener to Charlotte for Geoff Snider
This trade all depends on if Snider plays, and he doesn’t always play. If he and Anthony Kelly are both on the Outlaws roster that might be the best faceoff duo ever. Denver is much closer to Snider’s Calgary home, so there’s a chance. Kimener has been a productive scorer for four years with the Outlaws, so he could replace the role Danowski left on offense.
Brian Spallina to New York; Kyle Sweeney to Chesapeake
Brian Spallina is a great addition to the Lizards defense that lost Karalunas, while the Bayhawks replace him right away with Kyle Sweeney from the Cannons. The move for the Bayhawks makes sense to keep a veteran defender, and the Lizards get their head coaches’ brother on the team.
Matt Striebel to Chesapeake
Striebel is the longest tenured player in Major League Lacrosse so it’s hard to say how long he can last in Chesapeake. He was decently productive with the Cannons at the end of last season and is a solid veteran presence on the Bayhawks who can take a backseat role.
Cody Jamieson to New York
Jamieson bounced around this MLL season between Florida and Charlotte and still never played a game. With Hamilton, he was always a good player with 74 career points. However, playing in the NLL and Canadian box in Ontario has limited him. The Lizards have his rights and it’s sounding like he’ll play a bit this year, and if true, that’s a huge addition.
Matt Poskay to New York
Poskay is a coach with the NCAA’s Wagner Seahawks on Long Island, so he might play this season. The former MVP missed the entire season with the Cannons last year and it showed at times as the offense ran almost exclusively relying on Rabil. Now Poskay is reunited with Rabil and if he can be productive like he used to be, the Lizards have a steal.
Jim Connolly to Boston
Connolly returns to the Cannons after a couple of years in Ohio where he was a productive player for them. The attackman isn’t a star, but he had 32 points two seasons ago so if he recaptures that he can be solid depth for the offense.
