New York Riptide trade Callum Crawford to Panther City for depth & draft picks
Callum Crawford (Photo: Brandon Hill)
Over the span of nine days, the New York Riptide have fired their GM, elevated an executive to take his place, traded Jake Fox for Chad Cummings, lost their fourth straight to open the 2023 season, and today traded away veteran forward Callum Crawford while also signing former 50-goal scorer Brett Hickey.
New York GM Rich Lisk sent the 38-year-old Crawford, who is still considered a top offensive producer and was his peers’ frontrunner for MVP just a few seasons ago, to the Panther City Lacrosse Club for goalie Kevin Orleman, prospects Colton Lidstone & Petey Lasalla, as well as a second-round pick in the 2024 NLL Entry Draft, a second-round pick in the 2025 NLL Entry Draft, and a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NLL Entry Draft.
Panther City had been connected to the Riptide and Crawford in trade rumours this past summer, but a deal was obviously never reached. Crawford signed a one-year agreement with New York in late August.
The blockbuster trade gives Panther City a high-end offensive leader, who they haven’t had since dealing Ryan Benesch early last year (and kind of Randy Staats, who had yet to play for PCLC prior to being traded). The move also gets Crawford closer to his Oklahoma home, where he owns & operates Impulse Lacrosse with former Riptide teammate, Ryan Fournier.
At the conclusion of last year’s regular season and so far this year, Panther City’s goals-per-game average has ranked fourth from the bottom across the entire league. PCLC obviously hopes Crawford will help in that department.
“We are thrilled to add one of the most prolific players in NLL history to the Panther City Lacrosse Club,” GM Bob Hamley said in today’s team announcement. “Callum brings veteran leadership to our young offensive core and with his athleticism, he adds another threat to our right side, as he has shown his game is still at an elite level and he possess all of the skill sets to remain a top scoring threat in this league.”
Crawford, who ranks Top 10 in all-time assists & points in the NLL, had just 6 goals and 4 assists after three games with New York during their current campaign.
For whatever reason, the Riptide’s offense has struggled to finish this year after showing so much promise a season ago. With Fox dealt last week and Crawford traded today, their top seven offensive options appear to be: Jeff Teat (6G, 19A), Reilly O’Connor (6G, 10A), Connor Kearnan (6G, 4A), Larson Sundown (6G, 1A), Tyler Digby (3A), Hickey (1A in 2 games with Calgary), and Dan Lomas (1G), who has seemingly been healthy scratched for the team’s last two disappointing games.
With one of the more inexperienced goalie tandems in the league – Steve Orleman & Gowah Abrams – the addition of the older Orleman brother gives the team some additional depth in net, while the other pieces in today’s trade will either only be available after the 2023 collegiate season or obviously TBA at a future draft.
This past NLL Entry Draft, the Riptide had three picks voided by the league for ineligibility issues.
To date, the Riptide have had somewhat limited success drafting eventual full-time players past the first round, but have found assets like the since-swapped Fox, impressive 2022 rookie Sundown, still pro-unproven Jack Kelly, and promising goalie prospect Will Johnston in the second round or later. John Wagner was a Riptide third rounder, eventually moved in a deal that brought over the still-there Jay Thorimbert.
Interestingly enough, Crawford himself was a second-round selection of the Calgary Roughnecks in the 2005 draft. He actually played with his new PCLC coach Tracey Kelusky in Calgary that winter. After spending his first five seasons with five different teams, it was that fifth opportunity with the Minnesota (now Georgia) Swarm that saw him begin to blossom into the high-impact player he is today.
So, who won the Riptide’s latest early-season deal? As Crawford’s own career confirms, sometimes these things take time to know for sure.