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I’ve been asked to write about how I think the first round of the dispersal draft will go down tonight. I might as well get my darts out and throw them against the wall because this is the strangest draft I’ve ever seen. On the one hand you have a number off All-Stars available to “rent” from the second most talented team in the NLL. On the other you’ve some less glamorous players available from Boston – but they are yours to keep.

Every team in the league wants Dan Dawson. Next to John Grant he is the most dominant offensive player in the NLL. He can help a good team win a championship, and possibly lead a bad team to a playoff spot. The only thing I’m sure of is that I would pick him No. 1. However, does Dawson want to go to Portland? He is currently studying to become a firefighter and there are a lot of teams with easier travel schedules. Will he try to dictate where he plays?

After Dawson you’ve got guys like Scott Self, Lindsay Plunkett, Derek Malawsky, Bruce Murray and many others, but at what point is it better to pick a young player you can keep off the Boston roster. Who will pick Craig Conn (and when) on the chance that he will be available for the playoffs? I’m not going to risk embarrassing myself by trying to predict the outcome. There are far too many factors to consider: specific team needs, righties vs. lefties, travel considerations for Western or Eastern-based players, long term vs. short-term goals. I suspect that a lot of management teams will be debating the merits of each strategy up to the last minute.

However, I will say this. Watch for Patrick Merrill to go high. Jack Reid, Andrew Lazore, Brendan Thenhaus are all great prospects. Pat Campbell can be a starter for many teams, but is a fantastic backup, and Brock Boyle always ends up back in Minnesota. As always, draft days lead to trades as well. In fact, I think this draft will probably generate more excitement than any we’ve seen in the NLL.

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