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Burnaby shakes it up with Salt swap

Building a team is often compared to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The Burnaby Lakers made a deal on the weekend that would fit that bill.
Lakers checking
The Burnaby Lakers hope to get their hands on some new talent at Thursday's junior draft -- either by trade or selection. The club traded veteran Justin Salt to New West for a pair of picks this year, as well as another first round selection in 2021.

Building a team is often compared to putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

The Burnaby Lakers made a deal on the weekend that would fit that bill.

The Western Lacrosse Association club moved former all-star defender Justin Salt to New Westminster for a handful of draft picks.

The swap, which occurred as both teams prepare for today's (Thursday) Western Lacrosse Association’s junior draft, sees Burnaby gain picks in the first and second rounds, as well as New West’s first pick in 2021.

Burnaby general manager Kevin Hill said while the team now has a hole on defence, they acquired multiple assets that provide options heading into the draft.

“It was just something that came about,” said Hill of the rather quick discussions. “Their offer gives us the assets we can work with, either by using the picks or moving the picks for players. I certainly don’t think we’re done.”

In Salt, the Lakers had a versatile, feisty defender who is known to be a thorn with his transition work. But he was also, due to National Lacrosse League commitments, unable to commit to a full season.

Last year, due to NLL commitments and a lingering injury, Salt only dressed for five Laker games, contributing two goals and two assists. In Burnaby’s run to a WLA regular season title in 2017, he tallied 10 goals and seven helpers over 13 games and was named to the first all-star team. As a second-year player with the Lakers in 2013, Salt picked up the Fred Wooster Award as the league’s unsung hero. He was a second round pick by the Lakers in 2012.

His best year with Burnaby may have been 2016, when he appeared in 17 games and contributed five goals and 11 assists. In the playoffs, when the upstart Lakers pushed Victoria to seven games, Salt counted six goals and three helpers. Prior to 2017, Salt was a regular contributor in the lineup, missing one game per year, except in 2014, when he missed three games.

“What we’re getting is a guy who we view as being in his prime lacrosse years, who has a track record on transition and defence that is among the best in the league, and who is a strong character for the dressing room to boot,” remarked New West general manager Dan Richardson.

Hill said that with the second and seventh overall selections, as well as the ninth and 14th picks, he can flip a combination of draft choices for an experienced player who can step right into the lineup.

“There are teams looking to rebuild out there, and they have good players who they are willing to move. We’re in a position where we have good picks, There are deals to be made, and we’re certainly listening,” he noted. “Teams are calling about (No. 2 overall).”

At the same time, he said using the picks to bolster his team with young skill is an option. The areas of need that are atop Burnaby’s list are a righthanded defender and a leftie shooter.

In Salt, New West is getting a strong, skilled defender who can slide up the floor when the opportunity arises.

“It’s tough to lose a player like Justin. He’s a veteran and brings a lot of that veteran leadership,” said Hill.

Taking the sting out of the cost, from a New West perspective, was that after their pre-draft scouting meetings the organization believed this year’s junior draft was neither as talented nor as deep as previous years.

“Quite honestly we didn’t think that this is a strong draft. We did an analysis, as a group, and felt the players projected in the seventh (selection) hole would struggle to make our team. Now you can’t project how other teams will draft ahead of you, but from what we see we could afford to move (the seventh overall and 14th overall) picks.

“Burnaby was interested in acquiring more picks, and so we feel both teams got what they wanted.”

The other element which New West factored into the dealing of the 2021 selection was that the WLA is scheduled to incorporate territorial protection next year, allowing each team to protect one local product prior to the junior draft. If a team does not have a player it views worth using its territorial pick on, it can abstain, and would receive a pick in a one-round compensatory draft for teams with no territorial protected players, and would occur before the regular draft.

Ontario’s Major Series league has had territorial protection of its top-four junior graduates for a number of years.

Burnaby also shipped a pair of 2021 draft picks to New West, from the second and third rounds, but are returned to the Lakers if Salt plays one game for the ‘Bellies in either 2019 or 2020.

“I don’t think we’re finished in changing and molding our roster, but right now I’m very pleased with what we have,” said Richardson, admitting the team is all-in when it comes to competing for a Mann Cup. “We’re not going to stand pat.”

The Lakers, meanwhile, are looking eastward again, with an eye on importing some talent to bolster their playoff hopes.

Last year the squad benefited from the arrival of Adam Perroni, Aiden Genik and Joel Matthews, all Ontario products whose availability remains uncertain for 2019, Hill said. Burnaby also brought in a pair of Alberta talents, A.J. Kluck and Brandon Luitwieler. Hill said Kluck was one of the players expected to return, and is expected to build on his solid, nine-game debut.