What once looked like a quiet NLL trade deadline turned into one of the more significant ones in NLL history. In total, nine players were traded yesterday, including arguably the best goaltender in the sport and several other impact players.
Christian Del Bianco was the headliner of the week, as he was traded to his hometown Vancouver Warriors in a move that will effectively end his contract holdout that has kept him out of the lineup this season. The goaltender has previously stated that due to work and family commitments, his desire was to play closer to home.Â
Del Bianco most recently backstopped Team Canada to gold at the WLBC in the summer, just a month after leading Ladner to victory at the Presidents Cup. The netminder also has two Minto Cups to his name and backstopped Calgary to the NLL Championship. In total, the netminder made 119 regular season appearances for the Roughnecks, with a cumulative 78.9% SV% and 10.68 GAA.
For the full recap of all the trades, continue reading below.
Vancouver Warriors trade Brayden Laity, Vancouver’s first round selection in 2025, Vancouver’s second round selection in 2025, and Vancouver’s first round selection in 2026 to the Calgary Roughnecks for Christian Del Bianco.
Laity was the ninth overall selection in the 2023 entry draft by the Warriors and has 2 goals and 10 assists in 30 career games played for the Warriors, to go along with 156 loose balls, 26 caused turnovers, and 24 blocked shots. He also captained Port Coquitlam to the Minto Cup finals last summer.
Meanwhile Del Bianco reunites with former Calgary Head Coach Curt Malawsky for the Warriors, who currently sit at 5-7 and are in the hunt for a playoff spot.
The Buffalo Bandits have traded Marquez White to the San Diego Seals in exchange for a second round selection in the 2026 Entry Draft and a conditional second round selection in the 2028 Entry Draft.
White is a San Diego native and former first-team all Ivy selection at SSDM for the Princeton Tigers. According to his Linkedin, White is currently studying Medecine at the Keck Graduate Institute in Claremont, California.
The Buffalo Bandits have traded their second round selection in 2028 Entry Draft to the Vancouver Warriors in exchange for Kiel Matisz and their fourth round selection in the 2028 Entry Draft.
This was the first listed transaction of a four-team deal that winded up with Matisz in Buffalo. A 12 year NLL veteran, Matisz played 16 games for the Riptide and Black Bears, scoring 25 goals and adding 60 assists. He previously spent six years to begin his career with the Georgia Swarm, including during their 2017 championship win. He then played four seasons with the Philadelphia Wings.
In total, the Stony Creek Ontario native has played in 192 regular season games, scoring 629 points.
The Albany FireWolves have traded Travis Longboat, their first round selection in the 2026 Entry Draft and a fourth round selection in the 2026 Entry Draft to the Ottawa Black Bears in exchange for Johnathan Peshko.
Longboat rejoins the Black Bears organization after he played in nine games for the Riptide during their inaugural season in 2020. He found a home last season in Albany, playing in all 18 games and scoring a career high 57 points on 25 goals and 32 assists. This year, he has 5 goals and 10 assists in 7 games played while battling injury.
Peshko was the fourth overall selection in the 2024 draft by the Warriors, and has 9 goals and 11 assists this season for Vancouver. The Johns Hopkins and Mimico alumni provides size, athleticism, and skill to the Albany right side.
The Vancouver Warriors have traded Johnathan Peshko and their fourth round selection in the 2026 Entry Draft to the Ottawa Black Bears in exchange for Kiel Matisz, Ottawa’s 2026 first round selection and a second round selection in the 2026 Entry Draft.
This was the transaction the allowed the previous two to take place. Vancouver added draft capital (Ottawa’s first and second rounders in 2026) while giving up their young forward. Neither Peshko nor Matisz ended up with the teams involved in these trades.
The Buffalo Bandits have traded Sam La Roue and a second round selection in 2026 Entry Draft to the Ottawa Black Bears in exchange for Ron John and their third round selection in the 2025 Entry Draft.
Some fans might be surprised to see this was technically a different transaction than the Matisz deal, but John ends up in Buffalo alongside his former teammate. John has 2 goals and 4 assists in 10 games out the back door for the Bears this year along with 41 loose balls and 8 caused turnovers. He played 49 games combined for the Black Bears and Riptide after beginning his career in Colorado.
La Roue has appeared in 4 games for the Bandits this year and had an assist against Calgary on the weekend. The 19th overall selection in 2020, he appeared in 11 games over four seasons for Buffalo.
The Las Vegas Desert Dogs have traded James Barclay to the San Diego Seals in exchange for Justin Sykes and a second round selection in the 2026 Entry Draft. Sykes’s Practice Player tag has been removed, and he is retained on the Active Roster.
Barclay was an expansion draft selection by the Desert Dogs and has appeared in every game except for one in franchise history. In 48 games for the Desert Dogs he had 2 goals and 12 assists, along with 278 loose balls 53 caused turnovers, and 61 blocked shots. His 29 blocks in 2023 was an NLL record in a single season.
Sykes was the 21st overall selection by the Panther City Lacrosse Club in 2023, before being selected in the dispersal draft by the Seals this past summer. He has appeared in one game this year for San Diego, registering a shot and 2 loose balls against Vancouver on March 7th.
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