With the expansion draft now officially in the books, the offseason trade window in the PLL has officially opened. The trade window began on February 17 and will remain open until the conclusion of the college draft in April, with teams allowed to trade players on the active roster and trade for picks in future 2020 drafts. Since it’s officially trade season, writers on the Pro Lacrosse Talk team came up with a list of trades they’d like to see go down.
Trade Discussion Disclaimer
- Teams are able to trade draft picks in both upcoming drafts, but since the entry draft order is still unknown, we stayed away from moving those.
- We are not suggesting all of these trades happen, with each trade being the opinion of the contributor and occurring in its own self-contained world.
- None of these trades have been rumored to occur at the time of publication and were created solely from the imagination of each individual writer.
Chaos receive: Romar Dennis (Chrome)
Chrome receive: Miles Thompson (Chaos)
Hutton Jackson
Romar Dennis has expressed interest in playing for another team in 2020, and the team that I think could benefit most from his presence is the Chaos. The Chaos have a hole to fill at the midfield and while Romar is more of a settled offense, dodging midfielder than the transition threat that the Chaos lost in Kyle McClancy, he can still provide value to the Chaos and join the team’s signature “Bomb Squad” as a two-point threat.
In exchange, the Chaos would send Miles Thompson to the Chrome. Despite Miles meshing well with the likes of Josh Byrne and Connor Fields, the Chaos were willing to part ways with him in the expansion draft and are loaded at the attack position with Curtis Dickson and Austin Staats expected to see the field this summer. This makes Miles a valuable trade asset and could allow him to see an increased role on a Justin Guterding and Jordan Wolf-led attack. He also would be reunited with his cousin and Albany teammate, Ty Thompson.
Archers receive: Romar Dennis (Chrome), Jordan Wolf (Chrome), Chrome’s third round college draft pick
Chrome receive: First overall college draft pick
Dan Arestia
I’m coming out firing. Romar Dennis needs a change of scenery. With the Archers, he represents another dodging threat at the midfield, which began to look like an area of need last year and is compounded by the loss of Danny Eipp. The Archers also need more players to be a threat from two-point range, and Romar has that two-point range. Only the Redwoods hit fewer two-pointers than the Archers in the regular season last summer. Jordan Wolf is a balanced and lethal attack threat who can immediately slide in and represent a primary dodging option at X, complementing shooting virtuosos Will Manny and Marcus Holman. The Archers also get a third round pick from Chrome because the price of the first overall pick in this class is just that high.
The Chrome get to start their #Chromeback tour with the first overall pick, which they can use to replace Wolf with a player like Michael Sowers or Grant Ament. Then they can use their fourth overall pick on a threat like Ament’s line mate and two-point king in the making, Mac O’Keefe, giving them instant offense if they choose, or they can build the other end with a physical presence like JT Giles-Harris and replace the loss of Joe Fletcher and Chris Sabia
Chrome receive: Jack Kelly (Redwoods)
Redwoods receive: Chrome’s second round draft pick
Adam Moore
Neither John Galloway or Brett Quenner are going to play forever, so the Chrome need to think about who they want to start in cage in the subsequent future. They could go with Alex Ready who’s already on their roster, but I’d like them to make a splash and acquire Jack Kelly.
Kelly has been working back to full health after an ACL injury in 2018 and could provide an immediate impact. Kelly was heavily favored to be selected in the expansion draft and is poised to be a starter in the PLL. The Chrome could use him right away in tandem with Galloway (the same tandem that won gold in the 2018 World Lacrosse Championships) and have their starter of the future already set for years to come.
In return, the Redwoods get a higher draft pick in the second round and the ability to take another impact defender or a faceoff specialist if TD Ierlan is claimed before they get the chance to take him at sixth overall pick.
Waterdogs receive: Alex Ready (Chrome)
Chrome receive: Waterdogs’ fourth round pick in the college draft
Jordan Johnson
Yes, I know that the Waterdogs grabbed Charlie Cipriano in the expansion draft but bringing in Ready would make for an interesting competition during training camp. Ready played well in limited minutes last year and with Tim Soudan looking like he is committed to John Galloway in goal, why not flip Ready and get another rookie to solidify the midfield or add to their holes on defense.
Whipsnakes receive: Chris Cloutier (Atlas)
Atlas receive: Curtis Dickson (Chaos)
Chaos Receive: James Barclay (Whipsnakes) and Whipsnakes’ third round college draft pick
Hutton Jackson
This is my favorite deal because it effectively addresses each teams’ needs and provides a better fit for the players involved. It was no secret that Chris Cloutier didn’t mesh too well on the Atlas attack last year, but he still has starter potential in this league. The Whipsnakes are depleted on attack so I’d send Cloutier to the Whips to provide another physical attack presence to pair with his former Wings’ teammate of a few months, Matt Rambo.
The Whips would then send defenseman James Barclay and a third-round pick to the Chaos. Barclay would not only satisfy the Chaos’ needs at pole after losing Brodie Merrill to the expansion draft, he would also be reunited with his former Providence teammate Jarrod Neumann.
The Chaos, who we’ve mentioned have an abundance at attack, would send Curtis Dickson to the Atlas. Dickson would fit Eric Law and Ryan Brown’s style much more than Cloutier did, while providing the Atlas attack some added veteran leadership.
Whipsnakes receive: Josh Byrne (Chaos)
Atlas Receive: Isaac Paparo (Whipsnakes), Whipsnakes’ second round college draft pick
Chaos Receive: Joel Tinney (Atlas)
Dan Arestia
THREE TEAM DEAL FOLKS. I told you, we’re getting nuts. The name of the game here was addressing needs created by the expansion draft. The Whipsnakes lost a lot on the offensive end. Josh Byrne is a step towards solving some of those issues since he can be effective in a number of ways, and the Chaos has a serious embarrassment of riches at attack (Fields, Thompson, Byrne, Dickson, Staats).
The Atlas receives Isaac Paparo and a pick from the Whips. Paparo is an impact pole who just happens to be behind the best LSM on the planet. Paparo should be a fine replacement for Noah Richard, and will be a lineup regular for the Atlas, even with the presence of Hartzell.
Chaos receive Joel Tinney, an outstanding two-way middie who immediately fits into the Chaos style of play and joins some of his fellow Canadiens.
Redwoods receive: Tommy Kelly (Chaos)
Chaos Receive: Redwoods’ second round college draft pick
Jordan Johnson
You might think I’m
crazy with this one, but I think this could be a trade that pays off for both
teams. The Redwoods have a glaring need at faceoff with Greg Gurenlian now
retired. At this point there is no guarantee that they would be able to grab TD
Ierlan in the college draft. Kelly and Ragonese could provide a nice one, two
punch for the Woods.
Why does this make sense for Chaos? Austin Henningsen is waiting in the wings and if given the chance could develop into one of the better faceoff specialists in this league. They could also always grab another guy in the entry or college draft or go after guys like Brendan Fowler, Brent Hiken, or Chris Mattes for depth.
Redwoods receive: Austin Henningsen (Chaos)
Chaos Receive: Tyler Dunn (Redwoods)
Dan Arestia
Ok, let’s dial it back a bit. I agree with Jordan that the retirement of Greg Gurenlian, unless something Favre-ish happens, leaves the Redwoods with few options on the roster at the faceoff specialist spot. Henningsen was a pick of the Chaos in last year’s college draft, but got limited opportunities as Tommy Kelly became the go-to guy for Coach Andy Towers, so I would instead trade for him.
The Chaos instead receive Tyler Dunn, who has the physical tools and athleticism to be a solid two-way middie, and is a decent replacement for Kyle McClancy who became a Waterdog via the expansion draft. Not exactly big stars moving here, but these are needs that get addressed.
Waterdogs OR Chrome receive: Goran Murray (Archers)
Archers receive: Third round pick in the college draft
Adam Moore
Goran Murray was a stud defender at Maryland, but didn’t see much time in the PLL last season. I could see the Waterdogs dealing for him as Coach Andy Copelan said they are interested in adding more defense prior to the start of the season. Murray could step right in and be an impact starter. Yet, the Chrome could also be a team interested in adding on defense, after losing Chris Sabia to the expansion draft and Joe Fletcher to retirement.
In both scenarios, the Archers add another draft pick and the opportunity to fill some needs at the midfield, which shouldn’t be too hard given the deep college draft class.
For more trade talk, listen to the Pro Lacrosse Talk podcast and then let us know which trades you hope to see this PLL offseason.
