With the MLL trade deadline approaching this week, I have taken a team-by-team look at player needs heading into the stretch run of the season. What areas might each team need to improve? Due to the nature of the league and its trades, I will not speculate on specific players I expect traded. In Major League Baseball, the likely players on the market are fairly evident. That’s not as true in the MLL, so I won’t even touch that area. It would only be guesswork.
Team-by-team, here are some needs I see. Keep in mind, for several of these areas, I am not saying the need is glaring, but reinforcement could help.
Boston Cannons—Man-Down Defense
With Boston, it’s hard to identity one major area of need. The Cannons are at least middle of the pack in pretty much every statistic. One area they struggle is man-down defense (or penalty killing). Several defensemen specialize in man-down defense, so finding a long-stick who could help in this area could go a long way.
Charlotte Hounds—Attack/Midfield Scoring and Goalie
The Hounds are second to last in the league in goals and could use a scoring punch. Charlotte features a fairly balanced offense with four players owning 19 or more points, but the Hounds are fairly attack oriented with four of their top five scorers at attack. John Haus is the leading midfield scorer with 20 points (17 goals, three assists). Adding another offensive player to help get points on the board (especially at midfield) would help. Charlotte goaltender Adam Ghitelman is also last in the league in goals against average (13.21) and third to last in save percentage (50.8). Reinforcement for a reliable back up between the pipes may be needed as well.
Chesapeake Bayhawks—Faceoff
The Bayhawks are in the midst of a tough season, but even at 3-7, they’re only two games from a playoff spot. The biggest glaring issue is goal-scoring, standing last in the league with 108 goals. A big part of that stems from the faceoff game and the lack of possessions. Chesapeake is last in win percentage (41.4). The Bayhawks attempted to find a solution by acquiring VMI product Stephen Robarge. He’s been okay, winning 56-of-125, but that area could still use improving, whether it be a veteran or a younger player on another team’s practice squad who’s given his first chance in the MLL.
Florida Launch—Defense and Faceoff
The Launch are in the midst of a slump, losing four straight, and could use help in several areas, but especially defense and faceoff. After losing close-stick defenseman Tucker Durkin to a concussion in the MLL All-Star Game, reinforcements are needed. The problem isn’t in goal. Brett Queener has solid numbers, recording a 54.4 save percentage which is actually third in the league. The problem comes down to the number of shots allowed. The team has only won 47 percent of its faceoffs, coupled with struggles on defense, has led to the most goals against in the MLL.
Denver Outlaws—Defensive Midfield
Denver has a solid offense, solid defense and balanced scoring. However, the Outlaws are last in the MLL in groundballs. Not counting faceoff specialist Anthony Kelly, out of the team’s top six in groundballs, only one is a midfielder. That is Domenic Sebastiani with 17. Next up in the midfield are Drew Snider with 11 and Justin Pennington with 10. The Outlaws could use some defensive midfielders who are strong off the ground.
New York Lizards—Extra Man Offense
When analyzing the Lizards, it was hard to find glaring weaknesses. New York features a solid-to-strong offense and defense, wins faceoffs and has a Team USA goaltender. One area that could use a little improvement is the power play (extra man). New York has converted at a 28.95 percent clip, fifth out of eight MLL teams. Not bad, but still an area that could use improvement. There may be an outside shooter available which the Lizards will want to pounce on. Besides that, New York looks solid at the other positions.
Ohio Machine—Goaltending
The Machine have enjoyed a strong season as their young guns look to turn the efforts into a playoff berth. The most obvious weakness on paper is between the pipes. Brian Phipps is last in the league in save percentage (48.3) and second-to-last in GAA (12.69). Whether it’s internal or external, the Machine could use reinforcements in goal. Make a few more stops and all those close losses may have been wins.
Rochester Rattlers—Faceoff
Rochester is the surprise MLL team, tied for first in the league standings. The biggest weakness for the Rattlers is at the faceoff X, winning fewer than 50 percent of their draws as a team. John Ortolani has helped solidify the position, winning just under 50 percent, but if any intriguing options are available in the trade market, it may be worth the Rattlers exploring. If they can turn into a 55 percent team at the X, those extra possessions could turn a close playoff defeat into a win and maybe championship.
