Disclaimer: This is not the official list, and no insider gave any of this information. This was done through rigorous research and analysis of known and public NLL contracts. There may be slight inaccuracies.
Updated July 31, 2015
It’s the NLL off season again, and that means moves can happen at any time. Free agency will begin sometime in July (or August, it depends on when they feel like it it seems) and trades will as well.
One of the struggles of being a lacrosse fan is that information is not as readily available as it is, say, in the NFL. That’s why we’ve done the research and will try to project the NLL free agent market.
We keep a contract status document that records draft year, age, and when a player signed a deal. We have determined that players drafted in 2012 would be RFAs and players drafted in 2009 or earlier age 30 or older will be UFAs. Of course, players released during the NLL season are also UFAs, as are any practice squad members.
Notes:
* Free agency alters slightly every year because of the new CBA.
* Teams will begin franchising players before the free agency period opens, so the list will change. Players older than 34 years old can decline being franchised.
* If a team makes an offer sheet to an RFA, the team that had the rights of the RFA have 72 hours to match it.
* If a team loses a UFA, they will get a compensation draft pick.
* An unrestricted free agent must be at least 30 years old and have to have played in parts of six NLL seasons. This means the player had to be drafted in 2009 or earlier to become a UFA.
* A restricted free agent must have been in the league for at least three seasons. This means the player had to have been drafted in 2012.
* There is a luxury tax if a team spends more than $400,000 on their roster.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Buffalo Bandits: Anthony Cosmo, Mark Steenhuis, Steve Priolo, Andrew Watt, Jamie Rooney, John Tavares, Billy Dee Smith, Derek Suddons, Jon Harasym
Calgary Roughnecks: Daryl Veltman, Scott Carnegie, Andrew McBride, Geoff Snider, Mike Carnegie, Jeff Moleski
Edmonton Rush: Aaron Bold
Georgia Swarm: Greg Downing, Callum Crawford, Dean Hill
New England Black Wolves: Jimmy Purves, Brendan Mundorf, Brett Manney, Brett Bucktooth
Rochester Knighthawks: Joe Walters, Ian Llord
Toronto Rock: Sandy Chapman, Patrick Merrill, Josh Sanderson
Vancouver Stealth: Rory Smith
Restricted Free Agents
Buffalo Bandits: Dave Brock, Nick Weiss, Alex Kedoh Hill
Calgary Roughnecks: Frankie Scigliano, Travis Cornwall, Peter Dubenski, Curtis Dickson, Shawn Evans, Dan MacRae, Jon Harnett
Colorado Mammoth: Dan Ball, Bob Snider, Creighton Reid, Jackson Decker, Mat McLeod, Colton Clark
Edmonton Rush: Brett Mydske, Nik Bilic, Zack Greer, Jarrett Toll, Tyler Codron, Mitch Bannister
Georgia Swarm: Joel White, Mitch Belisle, Shayne Jackson, Jordan MacIntosh, David Earl, Alex Crepinsek, Kiel Matisz, Zach Higgins, Ethan O’Connor, Matt Gibson, Zach Palmer, Ian Crawford
New England Black Wolves: Jesse Fehr, Ryan Hotaling, CJ Costabile, Pat Saunders, Jamie Lincoln
Rochester Knighthawks: Joel Matthews, Jamie Batson, Angus Goodleaf, Zac Reid, Justin Pychal
Toronto Rock: Mark White, Jesse Gamble, Scott Johnston, Steve Fryer, Bill Hostrawser, Kevin Crowley, Glen Bryan
Vancouver Stealth: Rhys Duch, Kyle Belton, Ilija Gajic, Kyle Sorensen, Mitch McMichael, Cody Hadgdorn, Dane Stevens