The National Lacrosse League is small, home to nine teams in the 2018 season. That leaves a lot of opportunity to climb, or fall, in the standings rather quickly.
The Georgia Swarm went from missing the playoffs in 2015 — five games behind the lowest seed in the Eastern Conference — to becoming NLL champions last season. The Buffalo Bandits went from playing in the championship game in 2016 to having the worst record in the league in 2017.
Even the New England Black Wolves themselves have seen the possibility of quick turnarounds, having the league’s worst record in 2015 yet reaching the conference finals in 2016.
Sometimes, all it takes to get to the top are a few roster changes, and the Black Wolves have shown in the past they aren’t afraid to shake up the lineup. After the team made the playoffs for a second consecutive season but gave up the second-most goals in the league (244), head coach Glenn Clark knew where his team needed to improve.
