To the surprise of many, the Rochester Knighthawks did not franchise Dan Dawson and he will now become an unrestricted free agent.
Dawson joined the Knighthawks for the 2013 season after a blockbuster trade with Philadelphia that sent Paul Rabil, Jordan Hall, Joel White, Rob Campbell, and a second round pick in the 2014 Entry Draft to Philadelphia.
After 13 seasons in the NLL, Dawson’s season with the Knighthawks won him his first NLL Championship. He is currently seventh on the NLL’s all-time leading scorers list.
To become franchised during the 2014 season, a player must be at least 32 years old and also must have played in the NLL for at least six seasons. Dawson meets all of these requirements so the question is: why was he not signed as a franchise player?
One reason may just be because he has not been with the team long enough for them to make the investment. Though Dawson is a great player, he only played one season with the Knighthawks and he didn’t start the season out great, though he pulled through and ended up being a key component to the team. The Knighthawks may want to have a longer relationship with him before they go and franchise him.
Next season may be the season Dawson becomes franchised with the Knighthawks since it is very unlikely he will be going to another team. He is too important to the Knighthawks lineup.
