This week has been a very interesting week in the NLL, with activity heating up as get closer to the draft. Earlier in the week I took a look at the Kyle Ross trade, and today I will look at the rest of the moves made. This includes Williams being moved from Edmonton to Minnesota for draft picks, being packaged with Doran to Buffalo, and Paul Rabil moving to the Eastern Division.
We will start off with the move that sent Williams to his second of three teams he would be a member of in one day. The Rush traded Williams to the Swarm in exchange for two second round picks in the 2013 NLL draft. From the Minnesota side this gave them a player to package in a deal, so this specific trade doesn’t have a direct affect. For Edmonton its good to pick up two picks for a player who is 38 years old and most likely only has a few more seasons in the league. However, its always hard to lose a 68 point scorer from your lineup. They could believe that Mark Matthews will pick up some of that lost production though.
Williams was not in Minnesota long, as later in the day he was traded to Buffalo. The Bandits traded the third overall pick to the Swarm in exchange for the fifth overall pick, two second round picks, Williams, and Brendon Doran. Minnesota now holds the second, third and fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, and it appears that they acquired Williams just to package him in a deal.
In my eyes, Buffalo wins this deal. The Bandits only move down two spots in the draft and pick up three picks and two players in the process. It is believed that there is a drop off after Matthews and Sorenson in the draft, so it is very likely that Buffalo could still possibly be getting the player they are interested in. Williams, although older at 38, adds a very nice offensive presence that the Bandits so desperately needed last year. My guess is the Bandits can get at least two more seasons out of him. Even though he is the focus of this trade for many, it may not be the most important part. Picking up two extra second round picks to move down two selections is a nice move in itself. Throw in Doran, who the Bandits are hoping can fit well into their system, and Buffalo did come away with quite the haul.
On the other end of things, Minnesota now owns almost the entire first half of the first round of the draft. Their retooled roster will be full of rookie stars looking for something to prove this season. They’ve got to be considered one of the best in the West going into the season this year after a very good season last year. Williams obviously never played in Minnesota, so its not like they are losing a part of that team either. Doran only played in nine games last season, so he won’t be a huge loss. The Swarm also have plenty of draft picks, so losing a few is probably not the end of the world in their eyes.
The final trade saw the Rush making more noise by sending Paul Rabil east. Edmonton traded Rabil to the Rochester Knighthawks in exchange for Jarrett Davis. Rabil held out after being traded to Edmonton from Washington for Athan Iannucci last season. Obviously on paper Rochester wins this trade by picking up a player of Rabil’s caliber. However everyone knew Rabil would not play in Edmonton so the market wasn’t incredibly deep. For Edmonton to get a suitable player in exchange that will play in Edmonton will help the Rush out. Davis scored 12 goals and 12 assists last season so he will be a nice secondary threat. Rochester just gets better now after just winning the Champions Cup. Rabil may not be the most dominant NLL player, but he is an excellent transition guy who should help out Rochester next season. Getting Rabil playing again is also great for the league.
Each of these trades brings a new look to the four teams involved and spiced up the NLL news wire as well. With the NLL Draft coming up soon more noise should be coming from the league in the coming days as well. Keep checking back to In Lacrosse We Trust for the latest news and analysis of all the moves made around the league.
