NLL 2024: Who have injuries hit the hardest?
Buffalo Bandits, 2023 NLL Cup Champions (Photo: Michael Hetzel)
You could easily argue that the last two National Lacrosse League Cup winners, the Colorado Mammoth and Buffalo Bandits, dealt with adversity and had their depth tested more than any other team during their title-taking season.
The Mammoth most certainly during 2022’s playoffs when arguably their top two offensive players, first Ryan Lee and later Eli McLaughlin, were lost for a majority of the postseason. Colorado, who owned a forward lineup filled with clutch scorers, didn’t flinch, capturing that spring’s Cup in stunning fashion.
Last year, the Bandits offense seemed to have a star or two sidelined every week, rarely seeing the same four forwards lineup alongside Dhane Smith. Only forwards Smith and always reliable vet Kyle Buchanan played in all 18 of Buffalo’s regular season games, the likes of Chris Cloutier and Chase Fraser missing most of the 2024 season. A battle-tested Bandits roster stormed through the playoffs and captured last year’s Cup.
Will similar happen this year?
Dealing with injuries in the NLL is nothing new. Sure, having top players leading the very tippy top of your lineup is important, but it’s often a club’s depth that dictates whether they can find success when their injured reserve list gets a little too lengthy. Lately, it’s paid off in the playoffs too.
The Lax Mag looked at every NLL roster to determine a few things about their lineup…
How many players have they needed (players that actually appeared in a game, not simply activated) to use this year in order to compete?
How many players have been healthy (and good) enough to play in every one of their games (total count + percentage)?
How many rookies have they relied on (again, has to have played) on game days?
How many players have had stays on their Injured Reserve or Physically Unable to Perform list (confirmed via an exhaustive double check of the NLL’s transaction page as of April 10)?
Plus, how many days were those players on the above two lists (which is a bit deceiving based on how the regular season runs, but…), and more importantly, how many combined games between all those players were missed so far this season (AKA: how many game-day roster spots were GMs and head coaches forced to fill due to those injuries)?
Latrell Harris, Toronto Rock (Photo: Dave Fryer)
In our counts we only included players that likely would have factored into this year’s season, so newbies that have never played before or after were included. We also didn’t include any players on a team’s Short Term Hold Out List because, well, it’s a bit of a wild card roster spot, and isn’t usually misused for legit injuries - usually.
Before you take a look at our findings, a few things stuck out…
Teams like the Albany FireWolves, Georgia Swarm, Las Vegas Desert Dogs, New York Riptide, Vancouver Warriors, and especially the Saskatchewan Rush were minimally impacted by IR or PUP stays by their players. These teams were relatively healthy all year (knock on wood), and in most cases, never really required their roster depth to be tested.
Three teams really stand out as having had horrible luck with injuries this year: again, the Bandits, Toronto Rock and Rochester Knighthawks.
Going into the season, we knew Buffalo had some major holes to fill on defense. In addition to losing the likes of Ethan O’Connor through free agency, core defenders Bryce Sweeting and Adam Bomberry were out for an extended stretch. Sweeting specifically was MIA for the season. While maybe not as smooth as last year, the Bandits have done enough to stay competitive and seem to be heating up (4-1 over last five, the one L happening in OT) at the perfect time. No team has had more GPs lost due to injury than the Bandits this year.
While Buffalo leads in days and games lost, Toronto isn’t far behind. In fact, the Rock have seen maybe more damage done to their key players than Buffalo or anyone else. Knowing they’d be without reigning Defensive Player of the Year Latrell Harris months before the season even started (knee injury), the team has seen the following players appear on their IR and PUP this year: Challen Rogers, Tom Schreiber, Chris Corbeil, Mitch de Snoo, Dan Craig, Josh Jubenville, TD Ierlan, Phil Mazzuca, Brandon Slade, Jordan McKenna and Tyler Hendrycks. The Rock are 13-3, first in the league, and are obviously favourites to clinch home-floor advantage throughout the playoffs. Toronto has dealt with injuries in past recent seasons, but not this many and not with the same level of success as they’ve had in 2024. Only the Mammoth (7) have had fewer players play in all of their games than the Rock (8).
Challen Rogers, Toronto Rock (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
The third team is Rochester, who for the second straight year have been without their starting goalie Rylan Hartley for a majority of the regular season (was just recently reactivated). The Knighthawks even dealt for backstop depth when they traded Stephen Keogh to New York for Kevin Orleman, who was on the Riptide’s IR then and remains on Rochester’s today. Their roster has been rocked at virtually every position equally, only recently getting their captain Dan Coates back (long COVID). At 6-9, Rochester’s playoff hopes are slim, but the team is seemingly the healthiest they’ve been all year. If they can slip into the playoffs, they’re likely a side most won’t want to see based solely on how they’ve persevered through adversity.
See how all 15 teams compare in our roster-reviewing criteria…
Lead or co-lead league
Albany FireWolves
Players Used: 24
Total Played in All Games: 11
% Played in All Games: 46%
Rookies Used: 6
Players on IR + PUP: 4
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 35
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 7
Buffalo Bandits
Players Used: 30
Total Played in All Games: 9
% Played in All Games: 30%
Rookies Used: 4
Players on IR + PUP: 11
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 632
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 76
Calgary Roughnecks
Players Used: 24
Total Played in All Games: 12
% Played in All Games: 50%
Rookies Used: 2
Players on IR + PUP: 10
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 435
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 49
Colorado Mammoth
Players Used: 28
Total Played in All Games: 7
% Played in All Games: 25%
Rookies Used: 4
Players on IR + PUP: 11
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 474
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 44
Georgia Swarm
Players Used: 22
Total Played in All Games: 13
% Played in All Games: 59%
Rookies Used: 2
Players on IR + PUP: 5
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 78
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 9
Halifax Thunderbirds
Players Used: 27
Total Played in All Games: 13
% Played in All Games: 48%
Rookies Used: 5
Players on IR + PUP: 9
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 327
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 45
Las Vegas Desert Dogs
Players Used: 26
Total Played in All Games: 9
% Played in All Games: 35%
Rookies Used: 6
Players on IR + PUP: 4
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 62
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 8
New York Riptide
Players Used: 25
Total Played in All Games: 9
% Played in All Games: 36%
Rookies Used: 7
Players on IR + PUP: 5
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 75
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 8
Panther City Lacrosse Club
Players Used: 24
Total Played in All Games: 10
% Played in All Games: 42%
Rookies Used: 4
Players on IR + PUP: 7
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 309
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 37
Philadelphia Wings
Players Used: 26
Total Played in All Games: 9
% Played in All Games: 35%
Rookies Used: 7
Players on IR + PUP: 10
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 231
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 21
Rochester Knighthawks
Players Used: 28
Total Played in All Games: 9
% Played in All Games: 32%
Rookies Used: 5
Players on IR + PUP: 9
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 627
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 65
San Diego Seals
Players Used: 27
Total Played in All Games: 10
% Played in All Games: 37%
Rookies Used: 2
Players on IR + PUP: 10
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 513
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 63
Saskatchewan Rush
Players Used: 22
Total Played in All Games: 12
% Played in All Games: 55%
Rookies Used: 3
Players on IR + PUP: 2
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 37
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 4
Toronto Rock
Players Used: 24
Total Played in All Games: 8
% Played in All Games: 33%
Rookies Used: 4
Players on IR + PUP: 12
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 565
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 72
Vancouver Warriors
Players Used: 25
Total Played in All Games: 13
% Played in All Games: 52%
Rookies Used: 5
Players on IR + PUP: 6
Combined Days on IR + PUP: 170
Combined Games Missed on IR + PUP: 21