New England Black Wolves

2018 record: 9-9 (third in the East)

Playoff finish: Lost in divisional semifinals

Coach: Glenn Clark (fourth season)

Key returners: Callum Crawford, F; Stephan Leblanc, F; Brett Manney, D

Key additions: Alex Buque, G; Tyler Digby, F; Greg Downing, D

Key losses: Aaron Bold, G, Johnny Powless, F

Outlook

What a topsy-turvy season it was for the New England Black Wolves. The Wolfpack had a horrendous goal differential, an East Division-worst negative 43 thanks largely to three games where they gave up 20 or more goals. They traded one of the top players in franchise history, Shawn Evans, and made an additional two midseason trades to try and improve the offense, adding Johnny Powless and Stephan LeBlanc.

And even with all that, the Black Wolves made the playoffs and had a path to the top seed in the division going into the final week. New England’s roster should experience a bit more stability in 2019, but there are some factors that could make last year unrepeatable.

Storylines to watch

1.. Can New England come to an agreement with Kevin Crowley?

Fans checking out the announced opening-night roster for the Black Wolves on Monday noticed a notable omission – the team’s top player, Kevin Crowley. He’s one of the biggest names amongst a handful of players that have still not come to contract agreements with their teams as we enter the final week before the season.

Crowley scored 51 goals last season, tops in the NLL and a personal best for the former first-overall pick.

2. How do the Black Wolves go about fixing that goal differential?

As you’d expect when the goal differential is that high, it will take work on both sides of the ball. The Black Wolves scored the least often and gave up the most goals of any team in the East Division. If Crowley isn’t there, Callum Crawford will be the focal point of the offense. On defense, GM Rich Lisk added Greg Downing and Andrew Suitor.

3. How will Alex Buque fare in Mohegan?

The up-and-down Black Wolves added another rather unpredictable player to the mix in Alex Buque, acquired in a trade from the Bandits this offseason. Buque lasted only one year in Buffalo after being brought in to replace then-recently retired Anthony Cosmo.

There were points Buque looked like a stone wall, the expected goalie of the future in Buffalo. And other times, Buffalo felt more comfortable running out Zach Higgins, who was signed off the street midway through the season.

Of course, all hope is not lost. Buque is still very young and has shown in summer ball that he’s capable of being one of the better goalies in this league.

Player to Watch

Tyler Digby, who desperately needed a change of scenery after a shocking six-goal, 22-point season with the Roughnecks last year. He was a 30-goal scorer in 2015 and 2016.

MVP Candidate

Callum Crawford

Finished with one point less than Crowley last season after splitting the year between Buffalo and New England. Last year was his third straight with at least 30 goals, but he'll need to get closer to his Colorado assist totals (83 in 2016 and 62 in 2017) for him to be considered among the league's best.

Verdict

Success with the ingredients the Black Wolves had last year is anomalous. As Lax All Stars’ Evan Schemenauer pointed out in his end of season Random Thoughts, they had the worst goal differential of any playoff team in the league history. With the Bandits vastly improved and Toronto getting Tom Schreiber back, the teams below New England last year will be nipping at their heels.