PLL Offseason Preview- Chrome LC

Day 4 of the PLL Offseason coverage here at The Saloon brings us to Chrome LC. This one is going to be rough. I want to preface this by saying that all of these players are extremely good lacrosse players. They have reached a level in their profession that most people will not achieve in their own jobs. I think it is always important to remember that when someone says a professional athlete is “bad”, it is on a comparative basis to other players in that league. Why am I writing this? Because the Chrome were bad last year. Really bad. They do, however, have the pieces to find some success and with a new coach, they have potential to rebuild quickly. Let’s dive into this roster.

Chrome LC

Protected Players: Jordan Wolf, Justin Guterding, Matt Danowski, Ned Crotty, Jordan MacIntosh, John Ranagan, Will Haus, Mike Manley, Joel White, John Galloway, Connor Farrell

Notable Unprotected Players: Simon Mathias, Ty Thompson, Romar Dennis, Max Tuttle, Joe Fletcher, Chris Sabia, Brett Queener

New head coach Tim Soudan is tasked with leading the Chrome after a 6-year stint as the head coach of the MLL’s Rochester Rattlers, winning the coach of the year award in 2014. Soudan is sticking with what he knows in the PLL, with 8 of the 12 protected players having played for him in Rochester. I am all for being comfortable with what you know, but midfield is such a deep position in this league that I am not sure you can justify giving up a guy like Joe Fletcher or even Chris Sabia (even with the white ankle socks with black shoes combo. C'mon Chris). If the Waterdogs go young, why look any further than Joe Fletcher, the young, stout defenseman who held superstar Connor Fields to one goal and zero assists in a game this season. He has a nose for the ball and always ends the game with a lot of gas left in the tank. Just look at this ground-ball win against Will Manny in the 4th quarter of their week 7 contest.

He is a guy I absolutely would’ve held onto, and Soudan will quickly be in big trouble if the Waterdogs scoop him up.

As for the college draft? The Chrome have the 3rd pick and will be able to select one of the tier 1 prospects: TD Ierlan, Grant Ament, or Dox Aitken. I think Ierlan will definitely be gone by then, as he is without question the best player available, so it will have to be between Grant Ament and Dox Aitken. Cleary the Chrome are pretty set at midfield with 5 protected on the roster, so they would love to get Ament in this spot, but this is the problem with the expansion. Who knows what the Waterdogs, who own the second pick, will do between now and then? They could have strong enough depth at attack where they look to midfielder Dox Aitken to round out their team, or they could load up on midfielders and have a need for assist master Grant Ament. The good thing for the Chrome is that there are upgrades to be had almost everywhere, and with a good chunk of this team comfortable playing for their former coach, the chemistry could be off the charts. This is a rebuilding year for the Chrome, so it is hard for any outcome to be disappointing. If you are a Chrome fan, I recommend you sit back, take a deep breath, and just enjoy. Your loyal fandom will be rewarded soon, I promise.