In October 2010, one of the greatest players in the game and a box lacrosse legend was traded for another one. After ten seasons, one missed season, a Rookie of the Year award, an NLL Championship, and an MVP award, John Grant, Jr. was traded from the Rochester Knighthawks to the Colorado Mammoth for reigning goaltender of the year Matt Vinc. Three other players as well as a few draft picks were also involved in this blockbuster, which transformed both teams. Some of those draft picks wouldn’t be made for almost three years, and the full extent of the trade wasn’t felt for quite a while.

Here is an article from a newspaper in Everett, Washington, home of the Washington Stealth, describing the trade. It’s interesting to hear what the writer thought of the trade at the time, like “The Cody Jamieson era officially [begins] in Rochester” (correct), “The K’Hawks also seem to have solved their goal-tending woes with the addition of Vinc” (correct), and “It’s tough to think John Grant Jr. will stay with the Mammoth” (incorrect).

With the benefit of hindsight, let’s look over this trade and see what impacts it had on the two teams involved and a few others. Continue reading →