NLL Trade Deadline: Win, Lose or Draw
Joe Resetarits in Buffalo on Feb. 7, 2026 (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
This past Monday, the National Lacrosse League’s 2026 Trade Deadline came and closed.
While we didn’t see the same blockbuster (our sixth ranked story across the sport in 2025) we did last year when the Calgary Roughnecks shipped hold-out Christian Del Bianco to the Vancouver Warriors for Brayden Laity, draft picks that turned into Kyle Pepper (rostered) & Jordan Vincent (released), a still-to-be-selected first this year, and future considerations that eventually got them Del Bianco’s replacement in goalie Aden Walsh, there were a handful of moves made on Monday. Mostly minor moves, some that didn’t feel overly deadline-ish at all, but trades nonetheless.
Today, The Lax Mag reviews every 2026 deadline deal to determine what teams got, why the trades were made, and who are trade scales say won.
Tyler Hendrycks (Photo: John Harrison)
Buffalo receives: Tyler Hendrycks
Calgary receives: Sixth-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft
Although the trade announcement defined Tyler Hendrycks as a defenseman, which is where he’s mostly played during short stints in Toronto & Calgary, the Rock’s former second-round pick showed plenty of offensive pop during his junior career, finishing second in scoring behind Mike Robinson (Halifax Thunderbirds) for the Peterborough Lakers during the OJLL’s shortened season in 2021. Hendrycks gives Buffalo some useable depth at either end of the floor (Bandits GM Steve Dietrich later confirmed they plan to use him up front), and is a player who has not come close to his full pro potential. A sixth rounder (FYI: one sixth rounder, Oshawa’s third-string stopper Zach Richards, has seen any time at all this year) is next to nothing to lose for the depth and potential you get in Hendrycks, even though he was a pretty consistent scratch in Calgary this year.
Nick Rose (Photo: Caroline Sherman and David Pickering)
Plus, that Nick Rose pre-deadline trade from last year (also one of our top ranked stories of 2025) has now almost completely collapsed our trade scale in favour of Toronto, Calgary essentially losing Gowah Abrams (played but later released by Toronto), Robert Hudson (still with Toronto, but unfortunately injured for the rest of the season) and their first-round selection in the 2026 Entry Draft (right now would be the third-overall pick in September’s stacked draft, which could land Toronto the likes of Joey Spallina, Finn Thomson, Silas Richmond, Matt Collison, and the list goes on) for UFA Rose (who played well for them, but then returned to the Rock over the offseason) Toronto’s 2025 fourth rounder (used to draft Jack Royer, who the Roughnecks released before the start of the season), and Hendrycks, which they just received a sixth for.
Win, lose or draw: Buffalo (and Toronto) W
Vancouver receives: Marshal King
Las Vegas receives: Conditional fourth-round selection in the 2027 NLL Entry Draft
Injuries and personal tragedy have limited King’s impact in the NLL, so don’t analyze this trade by his since-2020 NLL stat line alone, which is: 29GP, 15G, 33A, 48PTS, 54LB. In Junior, King was a 2-goal game guy, and has been about the same with the Victoria Shamrocks in the WLA, highlighted by that 2024 season that ended in the Mann Cup, where he had 7 goals in two games before breaking his mitt. The deal brings King back to his home province and playing alongside his big bro Jesse King. A conditional fourth for the potential in King, who many are still very high on, especially in the situation he now finds himself in, isn’t much to part with.
Win, lose or draw: Vancouver W
Halifax receives: Rights to Casey Wilson
Las Vegas receives: Tyson Bell, a first-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft, and a conditional second-round selection in the 2027 NLL Entry Draft
Very much a rental-vibe deal, one of the few flipped on the day. It’s an interesting move for Las Vegas to make considering they are looking less and less likely to make the playoffs (although we’ll get into the trade’s long-term benefits in a bit). Hell, they probably have to go 5-2 for a chance at the postseason, and five dubs is the franchise record for wins over a full 18. With that said, Vegas could most definitely use a smash-mouth defensemen like Tyson Bell, who was quietly having one of his more statistically productive seasons in Halifax while leading the Thunderbirds in caused turnovers. Often criticized for taking unnecessary penalty minutes (well, Halifax as a whole has been labelled with that rep), Bell has not been that this year, not at all actually. With just 12 PIMs over twelve games, Bell was only ninth on the T-Birds in penalties so far this season. Bell, who’s a UFA at the end of the season, will definitely make the Dogs tougher to play against in their own end.
Casey Wilson, Victoria Shamrocks, 2022 Minto Cup (Photo: Dave Fryer/OJLL)
Casey Wilson, who Vegas took fourth overall in last year’s draft, is a highly coveted, incredibly versatile NLL prospect that will start the second he joins the team (tore his ACL near the end of his senior season at Denver in 2025), plus he already lives in Halifax with brother and now NLL teammate, Max Wilson. With that said, adding that 2026 first rounder to the deal (Halifax’s highest of their impressive three firsts), a draft year that has some incredible talent available in the first two rounds, will likely get Vegas back what they lost in Wilson. Plus, the Dogs get a second or third rounder (if Bell re-signs in Vegas) on top of that. Wilson was obviously a ultra-talented target for the Thunderbirds, but they kinda gave up a lot to get him.
Win, lose or draw: Yes, Wilson is a significant addition that is already in market, but unless Vegas really fucks up that 2026 pick (see our opening paragraph, it happens), the trade scales say… Las Vegas W
Justin Sykes (Photo: Kalea Vizmanos)
Ottawa receives: Justin Sykes
Las Vegas receives: Ottawa’s fourth-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft, and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2028 NLL Entry Draft
Sykes was one of a number of high-ish recent draft picks that haven’t quite found the right fit in the NLL (Sykes had been sitting on LV’s hold-out list this year), still clearly has value, and was moved at this year’s deadline. Las Vegas gets that conditional fourth if Sykes is placed on Ottawa’s active roster in either the 2025–26 or the 2026–27 season. Not really the type of move you except to see at the deadline, but a pair of fourths for Sykes (former Mimico Mountaineers captain, former first overall pick in the MSL Draft and taken ahead of NLLers like Michael Grace, Matt Wright, Jonathan Peshko, Brayden Mayea and others, plus a helluva middie at Hofstra) isn’t too bad a deal considering what he can still potentially bring to the table at this level. Also worth noting, Sykes was traded at last year’s deadline too: Las Vegas traded James Barclay to the San Diego Seals in exchange for Sykes and a second-round selection in the 2026 Entry Draft.
Win, lose or draw: Ottawa W or a wash
Josh Jackson (Photo: Greg Mason)
Toronto receives: Josh Jackson
Las Vegas receives: Toronto’s third-round selection in the 2027 NLL Entry Draft
The Toronto Rock defense has been banged up a bunch this year, seeing the likes of Justin Martin, Robert Hudson and Kobe Handsor put on their season-ending IR, while others have missed a handful of GPs to injury too. Like most Rock defenders, Josh Jackson is a big, athletic body (6’3”, 215 lbs.) that gives the team some much needed defensive depth. After various moves at the deadline and rookies like Rhys Blake & Graydon Stokes impressing this year, Jackson became a moveable asset for Vegas, even though he was very much a full-time defender for the team over the last two seasons (played in 27 or 29 possible games).
Win, lose or draw: Toronto W
Zachary Young
Las Vegas receives: Zachary Young
Oshawa receives: Second-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft
The Oshawa native is obviously a player Desert Dogs GH/HC Shawn Williams knows well, and Zachary Young gives Vegas a solid right-handed defensemen, and better yet, he signed a new three-year deal before the start of the season. Again, not your typical deadline deal, but interesting none the less. It felt like Young was a core member of Oshawa’s defensive unit (even during their NLL Finals run in 2024 when Young was just a rookie) previous to this season, but this year has seemingly seen less time (they did add Kyle Rubisch) and was registering by far his smallest stat line of his three-year career. You’d have to think Young will see more minutes (and more important minutes) in Vegas, and get back on track, especially statistically. A second back to Oshawa is good value, however, especially in a deep draft. After all is said and done, this may end up being one of the more significant deals made at this year’s deadline.
Win, lose or draw: For now, Las Vegas W
Phil Caputo (Photo: Heather Barry)
Ottawa receives: Phil Caputo
Philadelphia receives: Travis Longboat and a third-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft
Phil Caputo, who signed a new two-year deal before the start of the season, is more than just a rental for Ottawa. Like the other Philly players that were moved this week (more on that below), Caputo was registering below average numbers this year, on pace to score only 11 goals (he missed a few GPs on the IR), his lowest total since very early in his career, plus was seeing some of the highest turnovers per touch earlier this season. With that said, Caputo is a decent deadline add, someone who’s popped up regularly in our Clutch Kings analysis over the years (especially when he was in Fort Worth), and although it’s been a bit, has some past chemistry with Ottawa’s offensive leader, Jeff Teat. The two played Junior ball together in Brampton, together scoring a third of the Excelsiors’ total regular season goals during the 2015 OJLL season.
Travis Longboat (Photo: Greg Mason)
Travis Longboat, who unfortunately has seen an above average amount of time on IRs and PUP lists, saw minimal minutes with Ottawa this year. We’re still only a few years removed from Longboat’s big breakout season with Albany in 2024, where he was nearly a 30-goal and 60-point guy for the FireWolves. That past potential is obviously what the Wings are hoping to tap into, and Longboat will likely get plenty of opportunity to show he’s still capable of that type of production or more. A good depth move for Ottawa and a roll of the dice for Philadelphia, who could find someone decent with that 2026 third too.
Win, lose or draw: Ottawa W, unless Longboat returns to his 2024 form (and sticks around) and/or they get a gem with that third rounder
Blaze Riorden (Photo: Heather Barry)
Rochester receives: Blaze Riorden
Philadelphia receives: Second-round selection in the 2027 NLL Entry Draft
Yes, Rochester, who has plenty of shooters (although they’ve been silenced somewhat during thus recent rough patch), didn’t really need to add another scorer this week. And although he’s a former 30-goal getter in this league, they won’t get that in Blaze Riorden, who was no doubt obtained for his off-ball presence, vet leadership, and Rochester-based roots. Riorden, who signed a four-year deal before the 2024 season, isn’t just a one-year rental either. Like Caputo above, Riorden’s offensive production is easily reaching career-low levels this year. Even in comparison to last year (which was his least statistically productive season since his rookie year with Buffalo in 2017), Riorden is shooting on target more, turning the ball over more often, and is on pace to score just ten times this year. In his defense, not a lot had been going right for Philly’s O in 2026, the team’s 9.23 goals scored per game dead last in the league ahead of Week 16. While Riorden’s likely role should help Rochester, giving up a second rounder in maybe the deepest draft in NLL history feels like a lot right now.
Win, lose or draw: Probably a draw based on recent production
Riorden, Resetarits and Caputo (Photo: Heather Barry)
Buffalo receives: Joe Resetarits
Philadelphia receives: Lukas Nielsen and Buffalo’s second-round selection in the 2026 NLL Entry Draft
On a day filled with mostly minor depth moves, the Joe Resetarits to Buffalo trade, one that many had been anticipating before even the start of this year’s season, is not minor by any means. Like we mentioned with his now former-Philly teammates above, Resetarits too is producing at pretty much career-low levels this year with the Wings. His name has regularly come up in the biggest statistical declines when we reviewed the numbers back in late January and again in recent weeks. Pretty much a 40-goal scorer (and one of the best forwards in the league…was an NLL MVP Finalist in 2022 beside now teammates Dhane Smith & Matt Vinc) over the past four seasons, Resetarits is (or at least was prior to this trade) on pace to probably hit only 20 in 2026. Buffalo did give up a lot to get him too. Lukas Nielsen, who the Bandits took seventh overall in the 2024 (he cracked our Junior A Top 50 that year too), has obviously struggled for high-end minutes with Buffalo, which is understandable based on the team’s offensive depth. Nielsen has clearly yet to come close to hitting his ceiling in this league, and will get plenty of opportunity to prove that in goal-starved Philadelphia. A second rounder in a very strong 2026 draft should get the Wings a day-one starter as well.
Lukas Nielsen (Photo: Christian Bender)
Although on paper, adding Resetarits, an upcoming UFA, reads like a rental move, it might not be since Resetarits is a Banditland (well, Hamburg) local. You would have to think that Resetarits’ stats will see a sizeable spike playing alongside the likes of Smith, Josh Byrne and the rest of Buffalo’s reawakened offense as the team searches for an unheard of four-peat. Resetarits should be plenty motivated too, past the obvious Cup-winning reasons. In the league since 2013, Resetarits has never won an NLL Cup. Nope, not even during his time in Rochester, who won Cups in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Resetarits only arrived in Rochester during the 2015 season (again, a trade deadline day acquisition), the Knighthawks bounced in the playoffs by the Toronto Rock that year. Although Resetarits has 211 regular season GPs, he has only 17 in the playoffs, and has barely been there in recent years. While the Bandits clearly got the best player in the deal, long term, it will be interesting to see if the Wings actually win this trade.
Win, lose or draw: If a four-peat happens (and Resetarits contributes), it’s Buffalo, but if not, depending on what Philly (or whatever city the team is in next year) does with that pick in September and Nielsen’s development, the Wings could come out winners in the 2026 NLL Trade Deadline’s most significant swap. So, TBD.