The Chaos have been one of the league’s biggest talking points over the last few seasons. They are a team that seems to methodically play out the regular season and turn things up when the postseason rolls around. They have been in the championship game the last three seasons. In a weird way, they have been a model of consistency since 2020, but heading into the newly added PLL free agency this offseason, this Chaos team might look a lot different next year.
The Chaos easily lead the PLL with players entering free agency this offseason. They still have main contributors who are under contract like Josh Byrne, Dhane Smith, Blaze Riorden, and Jack Rowlett. Obviously the four players previously mentioned are vital for the Chaos, but when you have 19 players hitting the free market, you still have plenty of moves to make while still trying to maintain that championship pedigree.
Here is the list of players the Chaos need to re-sign or replace this offseason.
Attack
Wes Berg – Chase Fraser – Joe Resitaris – Curtis Dickson
Joe Resitaris didn’t play this season and Berg was limited to four games. The biggest free agent in this group is Fraser. He truly optimizes the Chaos swagger and does his fair share of standing up for guys on the field too.
Offensive Midfield
Tanner Cook – Kevin Crowley – Kyle Jackson – Mac O’Keefe – Challen Rogers – Ryan Smith
This is the group that will have the biggest impact on the Chaos offseason. Mac O’Keefe has really developed into a nice two-point threat while continuing to improve his game and become a reliable two-way midfielder for the Chaos. Depending on how the offseason goes, he could move up to attack as well.
Challen Rogers would be a huge loss. The Stony Brook product had a strong second half of the season and played well in the playoffs too. Ryan Smith seems to be the forgotten midfielder on the Chaos, but his 13 points and his 53% shooting during the regular season would be a huge loss for this Chaos offense as well.
Defensive/Long Stick Midfield
CJ Costabile – Jarrod Neumann – Matt Rees
This could be a spot where the Chaos decided to look elsewhere in free agency or through the draft, especially after finishing in the bottom half of the league on defense.
Faceoff
Max Adler – Tommy Kelly
Sure they still have Jerry Ragonese still under contract, but Tommy Kelly and Max Adler were the teams main faceoff guys in 2022. Adler has played really well at times, while other times he seems to struggle with the PLL faceoff rules. Kelly held down the fort during the first half of the season and actually finished with a higher faceoff percentage than Adler in his five games. Adler could easily be back with the Chaos next season, but Chaos should definitely be entertaining other free agents, or looking to upgrade at faceoff through the draft.
Goalie
Austin Kaut
Unfortunately for Kaut, he plays behind one of the top goalies in the world. The former Lizards goaltender was an All-Star in 2018 and a veteran presence. With other free agent goalies on the market and more talent entering the league through the draft, Kaut might not have many suitors.
While we still have some time before free agency starts (no official date has been set), Chaos will definitely have its work cut out for themselves this offseason. Maybe this roster comes back completely intact and they make another push for a second PLL Championship, or maybe they tear down and retool around their “core four” returners. Either way, PLL free agency will be filled with Chaos.
