The 2018-19 NLL season, salvaged when the league and players reached a collective bargaining agreement, starts Dec. 15 with a revamped schedule. Check back to uslaxmagazine.com as we roll out our season preview — including Jack Goods’ projections, team-by-team capsules and additional features, some of which appeared in the December edition.
Buffalo Bandits
2018 record: 8-10 (fifth in the East)
Co-coaches: Rich Kilgour and John Tavares (first season)
Top returners: Dhane Smith, F; Shawn Evans, F; Steve Priolo, D; Jordan Durston, F
Key additions: Matt Vinc, G; Corey Small, F; Bryce Sweeting, D; Matt Gilray, D; Ian MacKay, T
Key losses: Mitch Jones, F; Vaughn Harris, T; Alex Buque, G; Craig England, F
Overview
The Bandits went deep into the offseason with an enormous question looming – would general manager Steve Dietrich and head coach Troy Cordingley return? After five months of waiting, Buffalo finally announced in September the franchise was retaining its GM but reassigned Cordingley and replaced him with his two assistants from 2018, John Tavares and Rich Kilgour.
While Dietrich survived the fallout of the storied franchise missing the playoffs for a second year in a row, his moves this offseason proved there was a sense of urgency. Stealing goalie Matt Vinc away from arch rival Rochester was the biggest splash any team made in free agency and acquiring Corey Small from Vancouver gives Buffalo’s offense another high ceiling contributor.
Combine that with drastic changes in transition and defense, which includes third and fourth overall picks Matt Gilray and Ian MacKay, and Buffalo on paper looks to make a big jump in 2019. They better, or there will likely be additional changes coming.
Storylines to watch
1. How big of an impact will Vinc and the defensive moves make?
The Bandits biggest weakness in 2018 was their defense, no matter what combination of players they used. The group finished seventh in the league in goals allowed last season, with goalie Alex Buque falling near the bottom among starters in goals against average and save percentage.
Drastic changes were made to both the defense and transition groups. Vaughn Harris, Ethan Schott, Ryan Fournier, Zac Reid and Liam Patten are out and in their place is Bryce Sweeting, Ethan O’Connor, Matt Spanger, Alex Kedoh Hill, Gilray and MacKay. Oh, and don’t forget they’ll be backed by the reining NLL Goalie of the Year.
Will all of this lead to chemistry issues early, or did Dietrich plug the biggest holes on a team that was one win away from the postseason last year?
2. How will the co-coach experiment turn out?
Tavares and Kilgour will share duties as the bench boss, the first time Buffalo has ever had multiple men hold the role at the same time. Their history with one another goes back to their playing days but there are bound to be logistical problems to work out. What happens when they can’t come to an agreement? Who runs practice? Who speaks to the media?
Of course, co-coaches in the NLL isn’t unprecedented, as Colorado played 43 games from 2014 to 2017 with Pat Coyle, Chris Gill and Dan Stroup all sharing equal footing. The Mammoth went 25-18 during that span.
3. Can the Bandits find some consistency?
Buffalo’s season was defined by three major streaks. The team won four in row in January and February, kicking off with a comeback victory against the eventual champion Saskatchewan Rush, but followed that up with four straight losses.
The Bandits appeared to get back on track by sweeping a home-and-home with the Black Wolves but ended the season with yet another losing streak, this time totaling three games, that knocked them out of postseason consideration.
Player to watch
Josh Byrne
Byrne led all NLL rookies in assists and points last season. He had a big run in the middle of the year, notching five or more points in four straight games, but seemed to struggle some toward the end of the schedule when teams shut off his opportunities to dive in the crease.
MVP candidate
Dhane Smith
Smith was somewhat surprisingly absent from the 2018 NLL All-Pro teams despite finishing second in the league in assists and third in the league in points. Honorable mention goes to Vinc, who will go down as one of the best goalies this league has ever seen.
Verdict
Buffalo seemed to be in good position to return to the playoffs prior to last week, but with the Vinc addition it would be downright surprising if the Bandits don’t make it.