Wow… What a way to start out the NLL Trade Deadline of 2015! The New England Black Wolves and Minnesota Swarm have swapped captains. Minny sends vet Andrew Suitor to New England while Joel White is sent to the Swarm. Also going with White is New England’s second round draft selection in 2017.
At first, it may seem like Minnesota gave up a lot. The Swarm have been known to trade away veteran players and go for the younger players/picks (as evident by this trade). I think both teams, though, made out pretty good on this trade. Both players play a similar game of transition, albeit Suitor is a bit more physical and really forces the ball while on defense. Suitor has seemed to struggle since his injury the 2013 season, but he is still a NLL caliber transition man. I think Suitor will bring a breath of fresh air to the Black Wolves lineup, and the same can be said of Joel White to the Swarm.
White has bounced around the league since being originally signed by Rochester in 2012. He then found his way to Philly in a trade also involving Jordan Hall, Paul Rabil, and the Dawsons. While he might not have a big scoring touch, he brings the speed to push the ball up the floor on turnovers and sets up scoring opportunities. Everything he brings to a team has to impress coaches, as he was (when with the Black Wolves) the only American born player in the NLL to wear the ‘C’ on his jersey.
With a struggling attendance as it was, the trade has upset many Swarm fans, as Suitor was a fan favorite and one of the players to stick around on the roster year in and year out. Overall I think both teams made the right move to correct what they thought they needed to try to make the best out of the rest of this season in pursuit of a possible playoff berth (both these teams are at the bottom of the East standings).
