The PLPA has on their website a list of restricted and unrestricted free agents leading up to the 2008. Also, it goes into more detail of the requirements to be a free agent.
The Swarm have two restricted free agents. Other teams can offer them a contract but the Swarm can match them:
Noah Talbot and D'arcy Sweet.
Unless Boston picks Talbot in the draft, I would expect he will be and should be re-signed by the Swarm. We need to improve upon our defense and losing Talbot would make it much tougher to do that.
D'arcy Sweet was acquired in October 2004 in a trade but never signed with the Swarm and hasn't played since 2002. The Swarm still hold his rights. Extremely unlikely that he will ever play for the Swarm or any other team I would guess.
QUOTE
Sweet, 30 (8/8/74), last played in the NLL with Rochester during the 2002 campaign and tallied 37 points (18-19=37) and 122 loose balls in 16 contests. The 6-foot, 185-pound forward has recorded 103 points 47-56=103) and 314 loose balls in 42 career NLL contests during three seasons with Buffalo and Rochester. The Sharon, Ontario-native attended Butler University. Buffalo originally selected Sweet in the first round (25th overall) of the 1999 NLL Entry Draft.
The Swarm do not have any unrestricted free agents. You have to be 32, born no later than the 1975 calendar year and played all of or parts of at least six seasons. If I am reading the rules right, then Matt Disher should become a unrestricted free agent next year.
Each team can franchise two of their unrestricted free agents but they must receive 15% above the veteran maximum compensation, whatever that amount is. Those players then can't test the market.
Teams must submit who the with to franchise on Tuesday, July 31. Some of the players listed on the free agent list, have already re-signed with their teams like John Tavares, Steve Dietrich, John Grant and Tracey Kelusky. On Wednesday, August 1, the free agency period begins.
Some of the players on the free agent list are exposed to the expansion draft. If Boston picks any of those unrestricted free agents and they were franchised before the expansion draft, then Boston will have to give them the 15% that is mentioned above. I believe that the franchise deadline is before the expansion draft at 1pm CST tomorrow.
Looking at the restricted free agent list: I wouldn't mind seeing Marty making an offer for the following three players:
Clay Hill -Buffalo
Lefthanded Defenseman 5/17/76. Plays for Dewey's Six Nations team in the summer. A very physical defenseman. Played all regular season and playoff games for Buffalo last season. Scored 1g 7a and scooped 60 LB in the regular season. Scored 1g 3a and scooped 10 LB against the Swarm in last years playoff game.
Thomas Montour - Chicago
Righthanded Forward/Transition 7/7/82. Plays for Dewey also in Six Nations. Used to play with Clay Hill in Buffalo. Played in Portland with Ryan Sharp and Mike Hominuck in 2006. Scored 11g 18a and scooped up 107 LB in 2007 with Chicago. I think he would be a fine addition to the transition game.
Sandy Chapman - Rochester
Lefthanded Defenseman 1/23/81. Even though he shares the same birthday as me, Chapman is a well established defenseman. He won three Champions Cup with Toronto in 2002, 2003 and 2005 along with the recent Champions Cup in Rochester in 2007. I believe he played with Mike Hominuck and Ryan Cousins on the Brock University field lacrosse team. Plays with Hominuck and Brock Boyle for Brampton in the summer. Scored 1g 8a and scooped 56 LB in 15 games in 2007.
The theme is defense and transition. There can't be enough depth in either for the Swarm. All three have been on winning teams and would give added experience to the line up. Problem the Swarm have is trying to convince them to come here, when the commutes are much easier in their present locations.
As for unrestricted free agents, remember all of these players are 32 years or older, I would have to wait to see who was franchised because that will eliminate a lot of the big names on that list. Supposedly Rochester after winning the Cup is not going to be able to pay the money a lot of their unrestricted free agents will demand. I see them franchising Pat O'Toole for sure but Shawn Williams would look nice in Blue and Gold even with the glut of lefthanded forwards on the Swarm. Looking at that list, I don't really see Marty making to much noise on that list.