The first week of September has been an active period of off-the-field action for the National Lacrosse League. With young stars Will Malcom and Jonathan Donville relocating to Colorado and Las Vegas respectively, and Nick Damude heading to Philadelphia via the dispersal, followed by incumbent Wings goalie Zach Higgins subsequently traded to the Ottawa Black Bears, in exchange for Phil Caputo, Liam Patten and a 2027 first-round pick.
From a free-agent standpoint, championship stalwarts Kyle Buchanan and Tyson Gibson returned to the Bandits and Mammoth. Sam LeClair elected to stay in America’s birthplace, amid Adam Charalambides and Keegan Bal making the call to continue their careers in the beautiful city of Vancouver.
The biggest name to sign a free agent deal with a new club was 39-year-old Ryan Benesch, who departs Halifax for the San Diego Seals. Born in 1985, Benesch will fit right in on the team with the oldest roster during the 2023-2024 NLL campaign.
In the wake of the slew of moves that have already taken place, here is a breakdown of some remaining names to watch on the free-agent market:
Dane Dobbie
The 37-year-old living legend posted yet another productive season for the Seals, tallying 24 goals and 46 assists. After spending 13 highly successful years with the Roughnecks, Dobbie has fit in beautifully in San Diego, from both a productivity and personality perspective. Does the Elora, Ontario native have any more left in the tank?
Zack Greer
Playing for his fifth NLL team, the 38-year-old forward has found a late career home in Southern Nevada, contributing 21 goals and 31 assists to the Desert Dogs attack during what turned out to be a disappointing sophomore season for the franchise. The former Duke All-American appears to have plenty of good lacrosse in his near four-decade body.
The Peterborough, Ontario product continues to be a strong and steady NLL forward, combining for 36 goals and 44 assists during his first two years with the Calgary Roughnecks. The 31-year-old saw his brother Zach traded to the rival San Diego Seals, as part of an offseason transaction that sent Curtis Dickson back north to Alberta. Will he return for a third-straight campaign with the Roughnecks?
Stephen Keogh
The 37-year-old’s first season with the New York Riptide (who have since become the Ottawa Black Bears) featured 20 goals, 18 assists and 59 loose balls. Keogh’s first and only season on Long Island followed a 26-score, 28-helper effort when lacing it up for the final time with the Rock. The Toronto native has amassed 30 or more goals on an impressive three occasions.
Dan Lintner
After playing the first four seasons of his career in Toronto, the Cornell University alum returned to the Rock last season, adding 16 goals, 16 assists and 42 loose balls to his resume. The highly consistent 31-year-old rejoined his original squad after a two-season stint with the Saskatchewan Rush, with Lintner totaling 32 points amid his farewell campaign in Saskatoon.
Logan Schuss
The 33-year-old forward is looking to get his NLL journey back on track after only appearing in four games for the Calgary Roughnecks last season, in the wake of recovering from a severe knee injury. Schuss joined the Roughnecks following eight robust seasons in Vancouver. His 2017 showing remains his strongest, with the British Columbia native tabulating 35 goals and 41 assists.
Jeremy Thompson
The 37-year-old transition titan is a master of the loose ball. While older brother Lyle is known around the world for his sweet scoring and playmaking, Jeremy is the guy absorbing the available pieces of vulcanized rubber that later lead to a Lyle achievement. Last season alone, Jeremy posted a team-leading 128 loose balls. The man is very good at his role.
Chris Wardle
The 32-year-old forward was an integral member of the 2022 Colorado Mammoth NLL championship run, totaling an astonishing 25 points during his team’s seven-game run to glory. Wardle’s days in Denver concluded at last season’s trade deadline when the lifelong Mammoth player was moved to the San Diego Seals. Wardle is an ideal fit for a contender.
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