LumberJax face a busy offseason

May 21st, 2008 by Bob Chavez

As impressive as the Portland LumberJax were in their run to the National Lacrosse League title game, keeping the team together for next season may prove to be a bigger obstacle.

This news is not coming as a surprise. Dan Dawson and Derek Malawsky were in Portland only because of the hibernation of the Arizona Sting. Yet while the Sting slumbered, Dawson and Malawsky didn’t. These fellas were key cogs in the offense of the Jax and Dawson was practically unstoppable in the playoffs. The duo combined for 141 points (63 goals, 78 assists) in the regular season. Dawson’s on the record as saying he’d love to stay in Portland, and coach/general manager Derek Keenan tells The Oregonian he’s working on it.

On top of this, there are other issues such as free agency (Matt Disher and Dallas Eliuk are both free agents) and the expansion draft. Still, the Jax are confident with the young nucleus they have with gamers like Pete Jacobs and Cory Conway, along with Ryan Powell, who would likely step in as the club’s No. 1 scoring option in Portland should Dawson and Malawsky both exit. Should be an interesting offseason in Portland.

No need for shame in Portland: NLL.com
NLL offers a bang for your buck: St. Catharines Standard
Buffalo’s curse is lifted: Peterborough Examiner

Chavez is an avid lacrosse player in Rochester and a journalist for the Democrat and Chronicle as well as a longtime Inside Lacrosse contributor. Email him at bob.chavez@nllinsider.com or go to RochesterSports.com.

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