Trade Deadline Preview

What will happen on Tuesday, in what can be considered a key day for NLL junkies to digest if their favourite team has what it takes to go to the big game in May? The trade deadline is on its way, and with an extremely tight east, and a western conference where every team has a chance to make the playoffs, it may be quieter than usual. With that in mind though, here are some guys who may be available:

Mat Giles, Chicago: Despite the win against Rochester last night, its pretty damn obvious the 'Rox aren't going to do anything this year. Giles is having another solid year, on pace for about 45-48 points. He is a big body with a ton of big game experience for the Peterborough Lakers, and could help any team in contention. If Jamie Batley is still under the illusion that Brad Self will show up and lead Chicago to glory, then Giles won't go anywhere. But it would be neat to see Giles attempt to go after his teammate Chris Panos' teams played for record.

Jonas Derks, Chicago: With the Windy City crew being the most mathematically unlikely to make the playoffs, they may be willing to part with another guy that has played in a ton of places, Jonas Derks. Derks had a huge game Saturday with 4 goals in the win over the big, bad Knighthawks, and could be a good secondary offensive addition for a contending team.

Also, Scott Self, one of the best shutdown defenceman in the game, could be had, but the Arizona situation keeps this cloudy. Chances are Batley would unload him if he knew that 'Zona was coming back sure, but who the hell knows anymore what Doug Moss is thinking.

Dan Stroup/Chris Gill, Edmonton: These guys basically follow each other around in the NLL (aside from Gill's brief journey to Cowtown in 2005) with stops in Toronto, Vancouver, Colorado and now Edmonton. They won't be going to an Eastern Conference team, but could be attractive to somebody in the West who wants to add depth and championship experience to its offence (Colorado again or San Jose) or somebody who wants some scorers to put them over the top (Portland). Bob Hamley could also hang on to these guys and try to track down Portland and Calgary himself. However, these guys don't have much left, and the Rush would likely face a quick playoff exit at the hands of San Jose or the Mammoth, so unloading them makes the most sense in the long run of the Rush.

Ken Millen, Rochester: The Knighthawks look to be in tough to make the playoffs, let alone repeat as champions. They won't trade John Grant, who still has at least 5 solid years left, nor will they trade Shawn Williams, who signed that big contract in the off-season. The Evans brothers are still both young and Chris Schiller is a local boy who is in the prime of his career. That leaves Millen, normally a solid offensive threat who is struggling this year, with a shooting percentage under 10%. He could probably be had for a 2nd or 3rd round pick, and could provide depth to someone's attack.

Brad MacDonald, Portland: The Lumberjax are unlikely to win the West this year, even with that beast of a power forward in Dan Dawson. It makes sense to try to get value and some future production in the form of a draft pick or prospect. With that in mind, MacDonald could be the guy to go. He is a solid defender, but will likely only go to a western team. San Jose and Colorado could both be interested.

Those are just some guys who could be traded. There are always some wacky trades (who the hell would have thought Craig Conn would have gone from Minnesota to Arizona in 2005) and other strange happenings (Paul Gait coming out of retirement to join his brother for one last hurrah). We shall see what will happen on the 25th.

As for the Rock, what will they do? It is hard to say under Kloepfer. Will he decide to trade the top 3 of his scorers, believing that securing more Barrie Lakeshores will bring glory back to the Rock? Will he do something smart, bringing in that big power forward that is desperately needed and try to ride an amazing goaltender one last time?

History suggests he will completely surprise us, doing something that leaves us scratching our heads and drinking a lot of beer to curve the pain.