It’s been a busy off-season for the Saskatchewan Rush and with each move head coach and general manager Derek Keenan has had National Lacrosse League (NLL) expansion in mind.
“Expansion is imminent. There’s going to be two teams minimum, maybe up to four. We’ll find out in the next couple weeks I think, so we’re going to lose players with the type of roster we have,” he said.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan Rush trade Aaron Bold for New England Black Wolves goalie
By trading away franchise goaltender Aaron Bold, forward Adam Jones and defender John Lafontaine while subsequently acquiring extra draft picks for the future, Keenan is doing what he can to prepare for an expansion draft, which would take place next summer, while still keeping the Rush positioned for long-term success.
“Between ’18 and ’19 we now have six first-round draft picks, so that’s the plan to replenish (our roster). At the same time we still have a very strong core.”
As for this year’s draft, which takes place Sept. 18 in Toronto, the Rush still have selections in the second, third, fourth and sixth rounds.
The likelihood that Saskatchewan will find any future stars with those picks is slim, but Keenan still sees value in them.
“I think our roster’s real deep right now but we’re looking for practice players and maybe a guy that surprises somebody,” he said, noting that defender Matt Hossack was selected in the second round in 2016 and played well enough in a reserve role during his rookie campaign to earn a full-time spot heading into next season.
“We want to bring more guys into camp this year too. Some of our veteran guys had too many reps in camp last year and consequently we had guys that were hurt right from the beginning of the season, specifically (Chris) Corbeil and (Kyle) Rubisch, and that affected us a little bit.”
READ MORE: Saskatchewan Rush sign free agent Jeff Shattler
Keenan also dipped into the free agent pool this summer, signing veteran forward Jeff Shattler away from Saskatchewan’s biggest rival, the Calgary Roughnecks.
“He’s really looking forward to the opportunity to be with us and we love his game. I always have. Real versatile guy, super fit at 32 still, he’s got a lot left in the tank, and he fills the void after the trade of Adam Jones,” he said.
In addition to preparing for next month’s draft, Keenan will also be coaching a team of bantam- and midget-aged players that will represent the Rush at the Junior NLL tournament Aug. 25 to 27 in Oakville, Ont.
The next NLL season may still be months away, but the winningest coach in league history has no shortage of things to keep him busy.