Black Wolves general manager Rich Lisk is a firm believer in the cliché "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
It’s also his job, no matter what, to make sure he gets the team all the pieces it needs to be successful.
The Black Wolves made a trade after only one game into the 2017-18 season, sending Sheldon Burns to the Toronto Rock in exchange for nine-year veteran Stephan Leblanc. When the team went on a three-game losing streak to fall to 4-4, draft picks were sent to the Georgia Swarm, with eight-year veteran and fourtime Champions Cup-winner Johnny Powless coming to New England.
Something still was missing, even with both those forwards arriving at Mohegan Sun, even after a 12-11 overtime victory over Vancouver.
"We’re in first place, but we’ve scored the least amount of goals in the league," Lisk said. "We’re trying to figure out how we want to play. The coaches and I talked about how they want to play. I asked for a wish list for that style of play. (Callum) Crawford’s name came up on a lot of people’s cards."
On Feb. 28, Lisk made the coaches’ wishes come true. The Black Wolves acquired Crawford, a two-time NLL All-Pro, from their East Division rivals, the Buffalo Bandits. It came at a steep price, however.
