Black Wolves open season tonight at Swarm
First, the National Lacrosse League season in its entirety was delayed by a labor dispute, resulting in the cancelation of the first two weeks of the season.
Then, the New England Black Wolves, beginning their fifth season calling Mohegan Sun Arena home, went through a shortened preseason — two weeks instead of four — without leading scorer Kevin Crowley.
Crowley, who led the league with 51 goals last season and added 25 assists for 76 points, has not yet signed, despite earning the Wolves' lone “franchise” tag earlier this summer which allows him the league's highest base salary.
“It felt like a long time getting here, but it was short at the same time,” New England coach Glenn Clark said in a conference call this week, alluding to the start of the season.
“You obviously don't want to lose your season; it's what we all love to do. You start to get a little bit nervous, a little bit anxious, potentially is this going to fall off the rail? Rich (Lisk, general manager) was updating us hourly if not daily. It was a big sigh of relief when it was done to get to the business at hand.”
A new five-year collective bargaining agreement between the NLL and the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association was announced on Nov. 24.
The Black Wolves begin their season with a 7:05 p.m. game Saturday at Georgia. The Wolves are scheduled to play their home opener on Friday, Dec. 28, against the Saskatchewan Rush.
New England was 9-9 in the regular season last year, third in the Eastern Division, before losing to Rochester in the conference semifinals.
Meanwhile, New England announced its final roster earlier this week without Crowley, although Clark gave an upbeat accounting of a more dynamic look for the team, which finished second-to-last in the league in goals scored in 2017 and had a goal differential of minus-48.
“With or without Kevin, we knew
we needed to change,” Clark said. “We scored the second-lowest total in the league last year. We need to change the way the ball moves through our sticks and the way the offense is configured. That continues to be the challenge for us. … Offenses are so dynamic now.”
Clark said he's more worried about who is on the floor than who is not.
New England named defenseman Brett Manney the team's captain on Thursday and tabbed forward Stephan Leblanc and transition man John LaFontaine as assistant captains.
Callum Crawford, a 13-year NLL veteran who played nine games for the Buffalo Bandits last season before being traded to the Black Wolves, had 35 points in nine games following the trade and 33 goals and 42 assists for 75 points overall.
Leblanc also joined the Black Wolves via trade last season, playing two games for the Toronto Rock. He finished with 27 goals and 46 assists for 73 points overall, including 70 points for New England.
Crowley is now on New England's protected player list. The Black Wolves continue to hold his rights and he may not negotiate with other teams, Lisk said.
“The way our hierarchy is set up, I'll worry about Kevin. Glenn and the coaches are worried about what was on the floor,” Lisk said on a conference call. “I'm very confident in the guys we have here. … I've had a few of the guys call me and say, ‘Rich, this is one of the tightest teams I've been on.”
Lisk said he has been in touch with Crowley from the summer on.
“He and I have had many discussions, us wanting a commitment to a long-term deal,” Lisk said. “I want a commitment. The team wants a long-term commitment. That seems to be a sticking point right now. … Every team has players that are considered ‘the guy.' Kevin is a big piece to our puzzle, but I consider all our guys ‘big guys.'
“We built a team with Kevin in mind, but the team fits very well without Kevin in mind right now. Kevin's not here right now. I still believe the guys on the floor can be just as effective.” v.fulkerson@theday.com