NLL Insider

John Grant

The first game of the 08 season is still a good four days away, so I say let the predictions keep rollin’. I thought I’d play a game called “Most likely too…”. Kinda a lonely game to play with one person, but I made it work in a similar fashion to what I thought Norman Bates woulda done (complete with wig and old lady jammies I just happened to have lying around the house… end of story). Anyways, I kinda just randomly picked a couple questions, some serious some not so serious, and, well, answered them to the best of my (some would say limited) ability. Hopefully you take a break from stuffing your face on Christmas and check in on the boards with your own take. Then I thought at the end of the year we could take a look back at what we said versus how things actually shook-down, maybe with a big pajama party in Kojima’s basement.

Either way, let the games begin.

Most likely too…

win the scoring title
Gotta be John Grant. He usually misses like a game per year, spends more time in the bin than anyone else in the top 50 (outside of some of his Rochester bros) but continues to smash the 100 point barrier no matter how many fewer minutes he plays versus the rest of the top dawgs. Had he played all 16 games last year, he would likely broken JT’s single season scoring record of 115 points (JR woulda had 118 based on his per game average).

lead the league in assists
Think John Tavares does it in 08, potentially even breaking the 71 Shooter put up in 05. I really like the offensive additions Buffalo made in the off-season, giving JT more options to distribute the ball than he’s had in years. He led the NLL in helpers last year in only 15 games and think he does it again easily this season.

lead the league in PIM
I think with Pat Merrill in New York, a guy who already racks up his fair share of penalty minutes, the likelihood of him leading the league here is a pretty good one. With the amount of scoring chances New York gave up last year, Merrill is likely gonna see more minutes in the NLL than he ever saw playing for the Rock, meaning a helluva lot more chances to get a little too rough.

challenge Geoff Snider for the fight club title
He got picked up as a free agent after rosters were set, but if JJ Dickie can find some minutes with Buffalo, more specifically minutes against Philly, than Dickie could definitely give Snider all he can handle. Dickie’s as good a scrapper as they come, who last fought in the NLL when he danced with Calgary’s Ryan McNish. Dickie’s name has been on the Fight Club Top Ten before and it’s not cuz he’s a Brad Pitt fan, although he may be, I don’t know, but for arguments sake, let’s say he’s not. For those that don’t know, JJ can chuck ‘em real good.

be the first coach to lose his gig
To tell ya the truth, I don’t think anyone will get fired this year, but Derek Keenan and Paul Day are in situations where they are the two most likely candidates. At least on paper they are. Both also run double duty as their team’s GM, making some substantial moves in the off-season that they obviously hope will improve their club. If Portland doesn’t make the playoffs and Edmonton continues to struggle finding the back of the net (and I guess not make the post-season either), who does the blame go to? I think both guys have a lot of expectations on them this year based on last year’s numbers and standings and will no doubt be expected to produce.

win rookie of the year
Although Steve Kojima is busting out some seriously impressive coverage of this year’s rookie class, I just wanted to throw my two cents in too. To me there are four guys, maybe five, that I think find themselves in situations where they’ll be put in situations where they’ll be producing right off the hop. The four? Frank Resetarits, Craig Point, Merrick Thomson and Jordan Hall. The fifth for me is Dylan Llord in Colorado, but we’ll see. That’s a tough roster to crack anywhere on the court, but know he’s looked killer at camp and could turn some heads this year. Llord’s definitely my sleeper pick. I think Resetarits gets inserted into an offense that already posts some ridiculous digits, so he’ll definitely be getting more than enough support to do what he needs to and that’s to score a sh** load of goals (well maybe not a sh** load, but he’ll definitely be expected to post some decent numbers). Point will likely have the most pressure put on him out of this year’s crop, already pegged as playing a key gig on Minny’s O. I think he copes and does well though, no matter what expectations are put on him. Thomson is also gonna be looked at to produce right away in Philly, especially in traffic, an area no one’s really looked amazing in with the Wings in recent years. And finally, although he might be the best pound-for-pound rook this year, Hall will have the toughest go of any first year guy, just based on the fact that he’s playing for the previously last place Titans, who still have some issues heading into the year. Who takes it though? I’m thinking Resetarits’ first year digits will be pretty impressive and grab him a ton of votes for ROTY. Point will be on his heels though.

say I told ya so
I think Mike Thompson in Buffalo steps into the starting spot in goal with relative ease, shutting up a lot of critics that wondered if he’d be a good enough replacement for Chugger. A secondary shout-out goes to Kevin Olson in Edmonton, a guy that’s been in camps with Vancouver (who actually drafted him twice Dal Monte wanted him so bad), San Jose, Colorado and now Edmonton. Think this might be his last chance to really impress at this level, but personally, I don’t see why Olson couldn’t post up like 50 points as soon as this year. The guys a killer in the summer and should do the same in the bigs if given a fair shake on an offense that truly needs a guy like him.

improve his new team
A lot of movement this past off-season. Some major ball players from Zona got dispersed, but think the biggest impact any new baller will have is Mike Accurrsi in Edmonton. The Rush are just so God damn hungry for goals and with Accurrsi posting his best pro offensive season ever last year in Rochester, think he’s not only capable of taking that O to places it’s never been, think hitting like 80, maybe even 90 points isn’t outta the question for this ten year vet either. He’s always been behind guys like Grant and JT throughout his pro career. I think 08 is finally the year we see Accurrsi as the top scorer on an NLL roster.

to get mistaken for Michael Strahan
The Stealth’s Paul Dawson.

score 40 goals, get nailed with 40 PIM and scoop 100 loosies
Can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone else look for this in a guy, but to me the above stats are the way I want my team’s power forward playing, plus a little extra. A guy that can score at will, drop the gloves if need be and hustle his ass off on the court for the loose stuff. I’ve never really gone back and checked to see if anyone’s actually hit this trifecta in a single season (with it being Christmas and all and of course me being lazy that’s not gonna happen today), but I’m thinkin’ it’s pretty rare. Rest assured, I’ll be tracking it in 08, so don’t lose any sleep over it. Who’ll do it this year? I’m gonna go with Scott Evans. He actually came semi-close to those numbers last year, just 22 loose balls shorts. The only other guys I can see taking a run at those Gordie Howe kinda numbers (if he played lacrosse) are John Grant, Gavin Prout and even Scott’s bro, Shawn Evans. Craig Conn woulda been my pick if he wasn’t watching this year from the sidelines. Note: Ended up doing a quick search and Roy Colsey is the guy that actually came closest to this back in 01 when he had 51G, 52PIM and 92LB. And by quick search I mean like ten guys, so if you stumble across a player that’s hit the trifecta, lemme know.

be in net when JT breaks Gary’s goal scoring record
Unless he breaks both legs and looses vision in both of his eyes, one of the few sure things this year is that John Tavares is gonna have another #1 beside his name in the record books. And the guy most likely to let in that record breaking goal? Probably Pat O’Toole. JT needs five to tie and obviously six to break the 596 Gait posted and with Buffalo and Rochester playing twice over two days to start the year, I think he finds the net six times in those first two nights. I think with that nice new shiny O the Bandits have, he might even pull it off at home that first game at the HSBC. If he doesn’t do it in those first two games, next in line are either gonna be Matt Vinc or I guess Rob Blasdell.

Anyways guys, definitely hit up the boards with your picks in each category and then at the end of the year we’ll checkout who was right and maybe, just maybe, I’ll buy the winner a beer if we’re ever in the same barn. But if I’m right, I definitely expect all you guys to buy me a pop. Think it’s only fair. And Kojima, clear out the digs in your basement dude, cuz it’s hosting a big pizza/slumber/wicked pj party in the spring. I’ll bring the boards games but you take care of everything else. Also, a bit of a heads up, my bedtime garb usually consists of a a pair of brief drawers and nothin’ else. So for those with a weak stomach, be prepared.

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