Breaking down day one of PLL free agency

Day one of PLL free agency is in the books. While the Gavin Adler signing was without a doubt the headliner, plenty of other moves were reported as the offseason shuffle begins.  With the recent increase in player compensation, raised salary cap, and expanded schedule, teams are able to offer meaningful money to players, enough that in some cases players will see five figure differences in offers. 

The deals of day one were almost entirely players choosing to stay with their current clubs. But a few moves did shake things up and set the stage for what teams need to address both in free agency and the draft. Position by position, here’s a glimpse of where things stand, and a nod to the person who reported each of these deals that hasn’t been announced yet. 

ATTACK

Brendan Nichtern signs with Chaos (per Dan Arestia)

Michael Boehm to the Redwoods (DA)

Brayden Mayea to the Redwoods (DA)

A trio of players looking for the chance to see the field more. Nichtern was signed by the Redwoods last year but didn’t suit up once. It wasn’t even necessarily because of his Army commitments. The Woods attack of Molloy, Garnsey, and Kavanagh just was clearly the go to unit early and Nichtern was the odd man out. In Carolina, especially given the overlap with indoor season potentially robbing them of several weapons, Nichtern will have the chance to play attack and get his groove back. Mikey Boehm heading to the Redwoods is one of the better signings so far. Boehm was never playing attack in Philly. That lineup is just too stacked with attackmen, Boehm was getting buried. With the Woods, he’ll have the chance to play some occasional attack but get on the field through the box and potentially on extra man. He’s a gifted scorer, the market for players at his position is very shallow, Joe Spallina with an under the radar savvy move. All the same things could be said about Mayea. Excellent hands and a slick scorer, though Mayea will have probably have indoor commitments for a while. Boehm, assuming he’s available, will have the chance to join the Woods for the Championship Series this March, a great opportunity for him.

MIDFIELD

Connor Kirst stays with Cannons (team announcement)

Sergio Perkovic stays with Chaos (per Chris Rosenthal)

Cole Williams stays with Chaos (team announcement)

Chris Aslanian stays with Chaos (team announcement)

Bryan Costabile staying with Atlas (DA)

Dalton Young stays with Outlaws (KB)

Six reported midfield signings, all of them staying put.  Likely no real surprise to these. The one that would make headlines is Costabile. He reportedly was offered a deal worth $70,000 per  year, which would make him one of the higher paid players in the league. Ultimately, he left money on the table to stay with the Atlas. It shouldn’t be a surprise, they just won the title and they are the team that drafted Costabile. Most quality midfielders are hard to win away. Natural middies are not as numerous as fans may expect in the PLL, there are quite a few converted attackmen out there. Getting a versatile piece like Dalton Young, or a career middie like Costabile, isn’t easy, and teams are not keen on letting them walk in free agency. 

SSDM

Matt Whitcher stays with Waterdogs (team announcement)

Brian Tevlin stays with Redwoods (per Kevin Brown)

Christian Scarpello to Chaos (DA)

SSDMs are always in high demand. The Waterdogs had a bit of a logjam at the position once they added Dylan Hess last year. Matt Whitcher got a new deal with the team, and that mean the Dogs were able to save some money and let Christian Scarpello sign elsewhere. Their loss is Carolina’s gain. SSDM is a position of need for Carolina, have a proven pro join the team in free agency, particularly when the Chaos don’t have a ton of draft picks, is a great move by Spencer Ford. Tevlin was signed before free agency even opened, no way the Woods were letting him hit the market.

DEFENSE

Gavin Adler to Philadelphia Waterdogs (per KB)

Owen Grant stays with Boston Cannons (KB)

Jack Posey to the Maryland Whipsnakes (KB)

Jarrod Neumann stays with Chaos (KB)

Brett Makar stays with Atlas (KB)

Troy Reh stays with Chaos (team announcement)

Chris Fake stays with the Redwoods (DA)

Liam Byrnes to the Chaos (DA)

Colby Barsz to the Cannons (team announcement)

Lot of defenders in that market, and there are a lot of defenders in the upcoming draft. It’s an interesting time for the position. Adler is the showstopper. The reigning DPOY changes teams, and this is the second time it’s happened (Garrett Epple signed with Boston the offseason after he won the award). Adler’s move also probably facilitated another move, i.e the Liam Byrnes to Carolina move. The Adler signing is a major splash for new GM Dave Cottle, immediately adding a former #1 overall pick. Two people in particularly will love this signing. CJ Kirst, one of Adler’s best friends who no doubt was in his ear about coming to the Waterdogs, and Michael Sowers, who no longer has to deal with being guarded by Gavin Adler. Not many other moves here where a player changed teams. Jack Posey to the Whipsnakes is a solid bit of future proofing for Coach Stagnitta, as Matt Dunn and Tim Muller aren’t getting any younger. Boston needs help on the defensive side of the field, that unit struggled last year. Barsz hasn’t been able to consistently crack Utah’s lineup (he’s a 30% exception signing for Boston), but he’ll get to compete in Boston right away. Should Boston draft a defender who isn’t available due to the new overlap with the NCAA tournament, Barsz is a pretty damn good contingency. 

Two defenseman set to hit free agency also retired, Koby Smith and John Geppert. 

GOALIE

Austin Kaut stays with Chaos (CR)

Teammates of the Year Austin Kaut ain’t going anywhere, and that’s no surprise. This man bleeds black and red.