There’s still a lot to like for Vancouver Stealth fans about the Sunday trade that brought Garrett Billings from the New England Black Wolves for Tyler Digby and a 2017 second-round pick in the National Lacrosse League draft.
But, with the move, the Stealth got older, less cap friendly and lost yet another draft pick. On Monday, the Calgary Roughnecks got younger, cheaper and added a pair of picks as they shipped reigning league MVP Shawn Evans to the Black Wolves in exchange for Digby and first rounders in 2018 and 2019.
Evans, a Peterborough, Ont., native had asked to be dealt closer to home to spend more time with his family.
Vancouver needed a player like Billings. They needed a ball handler. They needed a front man, someone who could help sell tickets, and Billings, a Langley native, certainly seems like a fit for a Langley Events Centre club.
Digby is more of a grinder and space clearer than a passer. Vancouver has another similar player on that side in Joel McCready.
Digby is also an athletic 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds. He’s a match-up nightmare, and Calgary has a match-up nightmare in its right-handers in Curtis Dickson. Dickson may be the toughest one-on-one match-up going.
They both often merit double teams, and that’s obviously impossible to do.
Digby opening up space for Dickson? That could be ridiculous.
And, as good as Evans is, Calgary managed to snag Wes Berg in the draft and he should be a high-end quarterback from the very start. Berg should be a franchise guy.
Stealth fans won’t appreciate Berg, a Coquitlam guy, coming to town with the opposition, but Vancouver gave up their first rounder this year in the Johnny Powless trade last off-season.
Calgary gave up the MVP and you can debate whether their offence isn’t as dangerous as it was. It will be different but it could be as potent.
Here’s some video of Digby, who, oddly enough, re-signed with Vancouver last Monday. It would certainly seem like he wanted to stay with the Stealth.
