NLL Insider

With the NLL season about to drop, in addition to some of the bits and pieces we’ve pulled outta Inside Lacrosse’s NLL Preivew issue and made available online, NLL Insider Managing Editor, Paul Tutka, is also breaking down both the Eastern and Western Divisions over the next couple days, with the East available right after the jump below.

Over the last few weeks, NLL Insider has also checked in with about 100 NLL players, asking them who they felt the four teams from both the East and West would be to make it to this year’s post-season. Teams are ranked based on the player’s votes, with the percentage of how many players voted for each individual team also included.

So after the jump, check-out how the East might play out this year and who to keep your eye on heading into 2009. The West will go live on Friday.

01 Buffalo Bandits

Player Vote: 99%
Last Year: 10-6 (Champion’s Cup winners)
In: Sean Greenhalgh, Cody Jacobs, Tom Montour, Brian Croswell
Out: Kyle Laverty (Drafted), Brett Bucktooth (Injury), Delby Powless (Injury), Pat McCready (Unsigned)
Top 2008 Money Baller: John Tavares 28.5Pts

Tutka says… Even though not having Brett Bucktooth (out for year with torn rotator cuff) and Delby Powless (will miss start of the year due to torn tendons in his hand) in the lineup will sting a bit up front, losing Kyle Laverty’s ruthless attitude and Pat McCready’s unmatched press skills will be even tougher to replace or even patch up short term. Although it is rumoured that McCready is also contemplating retirement, nothing official has come by the league’s desk at this point, and as of a couple weeks ago, it appeared there was still hope he could play part of 2009… Although both played well in goal last season, know a lot of people still aren’t 100% convinced of how consistent Mike Thompson and Kenny Montour will be this winter while trying to live up to the rep they helped build themselves in 2008. Both had good goals against and save percentage numbers, especially with Monster’s filthy 10.23 GAA, but at the same time, due mainly to injury issues, neither played even 500 minutes, ranking them behind even some backup tenders in minutes played. Can one or the other post the same keeper digits playing upwards of 800 plus minutes? It remains to be seen and still could be a huge question mark this year even after last year’s Cup win. Some might call them the best tandem in the league right now, but neither was on anyone’s short list for GOTY or All-Pro mention last year… Look for Clay Hill to build even more off of last year’s impressive season, especially with McCready potentially hanging ‘em up. He may not have been Buffalo’s best defender, but with everyone drooling over some of their O stepping up huge in 2008, Hill unnoticeably did the same on the other end of the court… As long as Kevin Dostie’s knee holds up over the long haul, look for him to have a really impressive winter. Dostie, who was injured last year as well, averaged 3.6 points per game in the games he did get into, which woulda had him close to 60 points and third in team scoring behind only John Tavares and Mark Steenhuis, if he played an entire year. It sucked to see him sidelined last season after his pro breakout year in 2007 (62Pts, second in Buffalo scoring). He’s so clutch and so smart, a semi-healthy 2009 will be huge for Dostie’s end-of-year totals… Think Sean Greenhalgh will easily touch 70 points, if not 80 in his return to the NLL, which is another reason why their injuries up front won’t bother them much this winter. It could actually be pretty easily argued that with Greenhalgh back and Cody Jacobs picked up off of the Shamrox’s rotting carcass, they’re even better front up this year.

02 Rochester Knighthawks

Player Vote: 81%
Last Year: 8-8 (missed playoffs)
In: Gary Gait, Kyle Laverty, Aaron Wilson, Joe Walters, Bobby McBride, Brock Boyle, Mac Allen, Paul Gait (coach)
Out: John Grant (Injury), Scott Evans (Injury), Matt Lyons (Drafted), Stephen Hoar (Traded), Andrew Potter (Traded), Luke Forget (Traded), Scott Ditzell (Unsigned), Marshall Abrams (Hold Out List), Ed Comeau (coach), Paul Suggate (coach)
Top 2008 Money Baller: Scott Evans 31.0Pts

Tutka says…What a F’n wild ride that off-season was!! It seriously couldn’t have been any crazier or had any more drama than what the K’Hawks had unfold over the past six plus months. The insane thing is though, these guys can still be legit contenders if they pull their sh** together from the get-go and play like they can… Gary Gait will be fine, so enough of the “too old” talk. Will he light the league on fire and lead the NLL in scoring? No, but he will be in and around that 75 point plateau and bring those intangibles to Rochester’s offense only a guy like Gary Gait can… Not to take anything away from what Paul Gait will bring to this team as a head coach, but the Hawks will most definitely be coached by committee this year. Between the Gaits, Regy Thorpe, Mike Hasen, Tim Soudan, John Grant, Shawn Williams, Steve Toll and a host of other vets that know a thing or two about the game, Rochester will be fine on that end, although a little unorthodox, to put it mildly… The word on the street is that Paul Suggate just didn’t mesh with Rochester’s core group of vets and the whole “circus” that has gone on in Rochester right up until a couple weeks ago wasn’t an environment that was gonna lend itself to an old school guy like Suggate. It sounds like the split was pretty mutual. The rumor also is that the coach in Rochester this year will likely only own the head honcho gig for a single season, with plans in the works of hiring someone long term in 2010… The box snobs might be too arrogant to go out on a limb and project much from Joe Walters this year because of his field roots, but trust us, this guy has all the tools to do big things in the indoor game. Walters will be a legit rookie of the year contender. You heard it here first… And as long as the ball gets moved around and egos don’t run into themselves up front, look for both Shawn Evans and Aaron Wilson to have career years… If given enough freedom to play his game the way we saw from him this past summer, look for sophomore Matt McLeod to really turn up the heat and show everyone why he was named to NLL Insider’s All-Canadian Team this past summer in Orangeville. The kids pure mustard and has a really bright future in the pro game.

03 Toronto Rock

Player Vote: 77%
Last Year: 7-9 (missed playoffs)
In: Luke Wiles, Stephen Hoar, Craig Conn, Chad Thompson, Jason Crosbie, Bill McGlone, Josh Wasson, Mike Attwood, Michael Fleming, Jim Veltman (coach)
Out: Jim Veltman (Retired), Aaron Wilson (Traded), Jamie Taylor (Released), Matt Taylor (Released), Mike Poulin (Drafted)
Top 2008 Money Baller: Blaine Manning 31.0Pts

Tutka says… Right after they picked up both Luke Wiles and Stephen Hoar on the eve of this year’s entry draft, they were immediately back to being serious contenders in the East again. Both guys are big money players and give Toronto a pair of high impact ballers they’ve been lacking over the past couple years. Look for Wiles to be a chart topper in The Money Ballers this winter too… The one move that really got lost in the shuffle during everything that went on this past off-season was the freebie signing of Jason Crosbie. Crosbie plays that gritty O role that always goes unnoticed but is so important if you want your big names to finish consistently. He’ll sacrifice the body to pickup an unattainable loosie, he’ll take a monster hit in traffic to open up some space for a bomb from up top, and he’ll give Toronto some of the off-ball movement their offense has been, again, severely lacking in recent years. Yeah the signing of Crosbie doesn’t make them younger, but it makes them so much smarter and gives them a great vet for their O prospects to learn from… Bill McGlone’s another guy that is gonna be so huge for the Rock this year. To have McGlone fall into their laps after Chicago closed up shop musta had Toronto GM Mike Kloepfer (let’s face it people, the dudes a GM, so let’s just start calling him a GM and stop getting all wordy with that Director tag) grinning from ear-to-ear. McGlone is as versatile as they come and give the Rock an added element on O that the franchise might never have ever had previously. He’s so solid on the short-man too, having scored eight shorties during his first two years in the bigs, playing hurt all season last winter. He’s another O role player, like Crosbie, who brings the little things to an offense that make it click. It might be tough for him to score a ton of points on the Rock’s newly crowded offense, but don’t be surprised to see upwards of 30 helpers and 70 plus loosies, if he starts all year. He’s also only the third American to find a spot on the Rock’s roster in franchise history. Kevin Finneran played for Toronto during their Cup winning year in 2003 and Adelphi draft pick, Rich Dommer, played on their pracky roster through the 2002 season. Dommer is currently the Head Coach at Herkimer College… He mighta gained his pro rep while winning Cups with the Rock in the early days, but respected keeper aficionados are convinced Bob Watson is playing some of the best lacrosse of his career these past two years. A long term injury to Watson could kill any Cup hopes this year though. They got deeper everywhere else on the rug, but with Mike Poulin gone, their tender position lost some serious depth, no offense to Mike Attwood… The latest on Craig Conn is that he should be ready to go for late January or early February. If he’s good to go, Toronto’s O could see upwards of a 30 to 40 goal increase from last year due to their major rehaul up front.

04 New York Titans

Player Vote: 64%
Last Year: 10-6 (East finalists)
In: Jamie Rooney, Dave Stilley, Stephen Peyser, Marc Burton, Josh Funk, Kurtis Wagar, Ed Comeau (coach)
Out: Jeff Ratcliffe (Retired), Jamie Hanford (Released), Casey Powell (Unsigned), Mitch Belisle (Drafted), Adam Mueller (coach)
Top 2008 Money Baller: Casey Powell 24.5Pts

Tutka says… If you believe the rumors right now, the Titans look like they’ll be entering the season without Casey Powell, although as Bob Chavez reported earlier this morning, the sides sound closer to an agreement than it was thought earlier this week. CP not playing in not only a huge loss on the floor for New York, from a marketing standpoint, it could be just has harsh for both the team and league as a whole. Canadian fans might not realize it, but Powell has rockstar status in the US wherever he goes and has more pull than almost anyone in the league today… It amazed me that Adelphi grad and former Missy Tommies stud Marc Burton went undrafted in September. Burton just missed the cut in NLL Insider’s Hot 30 rundown, but to go untouched after 76 picks really was crazy. Either way though, Burton impressed like a champ at the Titans’ camp and scored a trick against Philly in pre-season action. He could end up being one of this year’s feel good stories if he continues to impress once New York enters regular season play… Anyone else kinda surprised to see Jamie Hanford cut loose? Guessing Pat Merrill and the Peyser bros will take most draws this year. And speaking of the Peysers, man those guys are so cut-out for indoor ball. Greg really turned it on in the second half of last year and ended up being a nice, versatile option to have in the team’s back pocket, while bro Stephen could be one of 2009’s great American rookie stories… From speaking to some in the league, there’s a number of people wondering what Ed Comeau’s coaching style will do to the Titans’ fast paced, run-and-gun, constant press style of lacrosse. At times that kind of ball can come off reckless and sporadic, but you know what, it worked damn well for New York last year. Hopefully it’ll be more about making guys accountable for their play versus totally putting a leash on their explosive transition game. It’s doubtful too much will change though. Great quote from Comeau in a recent press release, “Throughout our pre-season of practices and scrimmages it was pretty clear that Adam (Mueller) left me with a strong team that only needed a few minor changes for us to reach the next level.  I am confident that we will be able to pick up where we left off last year, while also giving the fans a lot to get excited about on a weekly basis”… It doesn’t take a genius to see how many more power-play opportunities the Titans are routinely awarded over the rest of the league. Last season New York had 142 PP opportunities, with the next closest team, Colorado, only coming in at 114 extra man chances. Edmonton had literally almost half the chances as the Titans in 2008. With team management throughout the league already pretty pissed about all those power-play chances in New York, it should be interesting to see what plays out this year. Without those 60 PP goals last winter, it woulda been damn tough making it into the playoffs. No CP and fewer man-ups could mean a serious lack of goals in 2009.

05 Philadelphia Wings

Player Vote: 59%
Last Year: 10-6 (Eliminated in first round of playoffs)
In: Kyle Wailes, Benson Erwin, Mat Giles, Jordan Levine, Sean Thomson, Matt Bocklet, Conor Ford
Out: Jake Bergey (Drafted), Jason Crosbie (Free Agent), Jamie Rooney (Drafted), Peter Jacobs (Retired), Athan Iannucci (Injured), Jon Christmas (Work Related)
Top 2008 Money Baller: Athan Iannucci 51.5Pts

Tutka says… There’s enough turnover on O for some serious cause for concern, and that’s not even including that Athan Iannucci still might miss substantial time this year depending on the results of his latest physical… There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding Kyle Wailes‘ return to the pro game after missing last year due to some visa issues. He’s had a solid camp and looked damn impressive in their exhibition game against New York when he scored four goals. He might not have the coming out party like AI did last year, but don’t think it’s unrealistic to expect 30 to 35 goals from Wailes in 2009… Really excited to see what Benson Erwin can do indoors. He was drafted in 2005 by the Wings after a stellar career at Johns Hopkins but will only make is NLL debut this winter. The guys a beast on the field and has a work ethic to match, owning a game that should translate well to box. If the league is looking for a D rook to add to their All-Rookie Team at the end of the year, don’t be surprised if Erwin gets mentioned, that is, if get gets the game day minutes on an already pretty loaded Wings’ D… Expect to see Sean Nadelen’s name mentioned a lot more this season when people are talking about some of the best pure D guys in the league. He might not have the box background or pedigree that Taylor Wray or Tom Hajek have, but to deny him as one of the NLL’s best D-only guys is severe highway robbery… Although they won’t be as clutch as Jake Bergey was last year, Mat Giles and Sean Thomson should give the team the same kinda brick sh** house presence Bergey had for so many years previous. Giles has been bounced around the league quite a bit, having swapped sweaters a total of ten times over his soon to be 11-year pro career, but if used properly, he can be a massive asset to almost any offense. Like he showed in Chicago and Peterborough in 2008, he’s still good for at least 50 points in a season, which the Wings could definitely use this year… If anyone’s gonna do an AI impersonation this winter, it’ll probably be Merrick Thomson. Merrick had a really impressive first year in the league last winter, but the 42 goals he punished MLL goalies with this past summer showed not only that can he score a ton of goals, he can be the biggest of impact players at the sport’s highest level too.  

06 Boston Blazers

Player Vote: 20%
Last Year: Expansion Team
Out: Anthony Kelly (Released), Steve Panarelli (Released)
Top 2008 Money Baller: Dan Dawson 36.5Pts

Tutka says… There’s a lot of buzz over the Blazers’ first year in the league, well, first year back in the league, but not sure they’re gonna be the playoff party crashers some feel they will be in the East this season… They’ve got two of the best in Dan Dawson and Anthony Cosmo, but they’ve obviously got the least depth of anyone in their division. Like almost every expansion team in the league over the past several seasons, Boston will likely struggle to find consistency in the second half of their order, although the release of Anthony Kelly and Steve Panarelli certainly suggests otherwise… Word is that Dawson and Brendan Thenhaus have worked well together so far in camp and in exhibition action. The 22-year old Thenhaus, who’s averaged just a point per game in 14 starts in two seasons combined with Buffalo, Philadelphia and Edmonton, could end up being one of this year’s big breakout ballers if he continues to find that chemistry with Dawson. In his first summer of Senior action playing with a low scoring K-W Kodiaks team, Thenhaus posted an impressive 40Pts to finish third in team scoring behind only NLLers Ryan Benesch and Kevin Ross… It looks like Jack Reid will be the main leader in the Blazers’ likely very athletic D, going from a part-timer with Rochester to a starring role with Boston. Reid should start gaining a rep as being one of the indoor game’s top shutdown defenders, and maybe one of the hardest hitters too, a rep he’s had outdoors for years. We haven’t come close to seeing what Reid can really do indoors yet… Really cool to see Jon Durno finally find a spot in the NLL. Durno and Ashton McLean used to be one of the best D duos in the Junior game when they played in Toronto. Since then Durno’s been a regular in Brooklin and should add immensely to Boston’s smash mouth D… Although he ended up being the odd man out in Minny, Boston picked up one of last year’s best rookie defenders in Kyle Ross, who flourished even when he was assigned some of last year’s toughest O assignments. Look for more of the same from Ross in Boston has he continues to impress at the highest level… Cosmo will give them a chance to win every night out, but they’ll need their secondary O & D guys to step up to steal W’s this year. If they can do that, a post-season birth might not be out of the question.

Check back to NLL Insider on Friday for a breakdown of the Western Division.

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