Anthony Cosmo

Bandits Shootaround: Bandits look to stop skid against potent Mammoth

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

The long layoff for the Bandits practically has the team beginning a new season. The last home game was one month ago and Buffalo February 17 road loss was the last game action the team saw.

A one-week bye, plus the All Star Game, has kept the Bandits away from regular season action for some time. They’re mired in a four-game losing streak and the sledding remains tough. Buffalo will host the NLL’s best team and most potent scorer tonight with John Grant Jr. and the Colorado Mammoth in town.

This will be the first chance Bandits fans have a chance to see new goaltender Anthony Cosmo in action. He was activated earlier in the week, along with Daryl Gibson, after Frank Resetarits and Jimmy Purves were released. There is a chance that Cosmo serves as a backup to Mike Thompson, but considering the time he has had to shake off some rust, I’d expect him in the crease tonight.

Buffalo’s additional decision to move Travis Irving Gibson to the active roster was likely motivated by the earlier trade of Jeff Cornwall and the fact that Purves just wasn’t an effective piece for the Bandits this season. The same can be said for Resetarits. He is a solid player, but is well down the depth chart with the team. Between Luke Wiles, Kevin Buchanan and the rest of last year’s incumbents, there was little time for Resetarits to play. Not to mention, he was taking floor time for more potent weapons on a team that hasn’t yet lit things up offensively.

Crease Crashing

Anthony Cosmo should get the nod for the Bandits. He has had a ton of time to practice and adjust to the system. Cosmo was acquired to shore up some questionable goaltending. The season is too fragile at this point to wait on him any longer.

Chris Levis was selected to the West Division All Star team. Need I say more? Levis is playing behind a potent offense led by one of the most talented offensive stars to play in the NLL. Regardless, the Mammoth are the NLL’s best team and Levis has been a big part of that.

Stopping Grant

If John Tavares is the Gretzky of lacrosse, John Grant Jr. is Mario Lemieux. I maintain that Tavares will go down as the best to ever play the game, but Grant is a supreme talent that has the gamebreaker ability few have. Grant will not likely break any of Tavares’ records, but he could probably be considered a more dangerous scorer when compared to the Bandits great. Buffalo will have a hell of a time trying to contain him and I doubt that they will be able to hold him to anything less than seven or eight points. Grant has 59 points on the season, just shy of 10 points per game.

Depth Charge

The Bandits made strides to strengthen their depth scoring this season. All they accomplished was making a change to who their leading scorers are. The depth scoring remains absent while Tavares, Wiles, Mat Giles and Chad Culp pace the offense. Mark Steenhuis, Roger Vyse, Kevin Buchanan and others need to start chipping in. Creating and finishing has nearly been as big of an issue as the goaltending this season.

Bandits spend a pair of picks to acquire Cosmo

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Mired in a four-game losing streak and a two-week layoff prior to a home game against the NLL’s most potent offense, the Buffalo Bandits made a major move. The Bandits sent two first-round picks to Minnesota for goaltender Anthony Cosmo.

This was a major step for the team to take. Cosmo is a proven talent and wasn’t seeing time in Minnesota due to a logjam of talent and his own holdout. Cosmo wanted to play somewhere in the East and he now has his wish. The Swarm were able to hold him for a high return for two reasons; his overall talent and the fact that they didn’t need to unload him.

Buffalo was in dire need of a change. Whether a change in net or in the form of a runner was what was needed, is up for debate. Mike Thompson has struggled mightily after getting two wins to start the year. He has had a number of rough goals against, particularly squeakers that probably shouldn’t be going in. Cosmo is capable of being one of the league’s best and should give some spark to the team.

There were a few rumors swirling around the Bandits earlier in the week. Some mentioned Cosmo, others whispered at the option for an even bigger trade to go down. Looking at the four-game skid, there are a few issues that the team has. I don’t know if goaltending would be at the top of the list in that regard, but Cosmo should provide the necessary stability in net.

Giving up two first-round picks probably wasn’t much of an issue for Darris Kilgour either. He has never been one to build through the draft. He already parted with one recent draft pick (2nd round pick Jeff Cornwall) and made a few moves that allowed Jay Thorimbert back in the lineup. Thorimbert’s presence has forced Jeremy Thompson (1st round pick) to the press box for the time being.  Considering these two moves and the team’s relative draft history, I’m fairly certain Kilgour isn’t going to lose sleep over not having those picks.

What also should be remembered is that the Bandits had a bonus pick thanks to the Chris Corbiel trade. So they’re really only losing one pick of their own to this trade. As it stands now, the Corbiel trade will be a win for the Bandits – especially if Cosmo provides an immediate impact. The Bandits are essentially acquring Cosmo for Corbiel and a first-round pick, I’ll leave it to Cosmo’s performance to determine the value of the trade.

I still expect to see another trade come down the pipe for the Bandits. They’re getting contributions from different players on offense, but the attack has stagnated in certain areas, namely from the likes of Kevin Buchanan, Mark Steenhuis and Roger Vyse. If Kilgour is able to poach another major offensive weapon on the trade market there is no reason to think the Bandits would be able to string together a big run to secure a playoff berth.