What is Next for Ronan Lavelle?

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Following DC's first cup win in S85 and playoff MVP season, DC forward Ronan Lavelle posted another productive season for the Dragons in S86. DC was a streaky team all season long, and ended up finishing in 3rd place once again as they did in S85. Right where they want them right? Unfortunately they fell to the Chicago Phoenix in game 7, where Lavelle posted up another solid post-season. Lavelle put up 9 goals in 7 games, and 14 total points. On pace to beat the 26 points he posted in 18 playoff games last season if he got to see the whole thing through. Lavelle is also coming off his 3rd consecutive season of 90+ points and first time scoring over 50 goals. With 330 points in 288 games, 148 of them being goals Lavelle has quickly risen after his rookie season. Lavelle is to be a pending UFA this off-season, what does this mean for him? Will he return to DC? Will he test the market and potentially switch things up? We sat down with Ronan to see if we could get some answers for what the future may hold for him.

 

Reporter: Thank you for taking the time to join us Ronan, it is great to have you here,

Ronan Lavelle: Of course, thanks for having me. It's great to be here.

 

Q: Obviously S86 did not end the way you wanted it to. When you reflect back on the season, how did you feel about your performance and your team's as a whole?

RL: I was happy to hit the 50 goal mark individually. But falling short of the 100 point mark for the 3rd straight season after being on the cusp has been a bit frustrating. I loved the group of guys we had this past season. We have had guys come and go, but we have had a few of us that have held the core together. When we were good, we felt unstoppable but when we were bad it felt like we could have been playing for the lottery. Overall, it was a good season but losing so early in the playoffs you can never say it was a satisfying season when you're on the losing end.

 

Q: What do you think happened after grabbing the 3-2 series lead? Did the team get too confident?

RL:  I don't think we got too confident at all. Of course we were thinking we could ride another consecutive win streak like we did against them last season when we won 4 in a row. But this time was different. I think Cole Pearce definitely made a difference in between the pipes. We got the door slammed in our face in that game 7 straight up. We were generating offensive chances, just couldn't get anything past Pearce. One power play opportunity isn't going to do it either. We have been here before, we know the task in hand. Got to tip my hat off to Chicago, they were better.

 

Q: Understandable. Let's jump to the question the people have been eager to know. Where does Ronan Lavelle end up in S87?

RL: *laughs* You know that is a great question, that I am not even sure of if I am being honest. I haven't discussed any terms with DC yet, but it is still really early. I've had a great experience here in DC. But I have been thinking long, and hard this past week on what I want, and what would be best for the second part of my career.

 

Q: So are you saying there is a chance you aren't in DC next season?

RL: Nothing is set in stone right now. I can't emphasis enough how great it has been to be a Dragon, the management here has been amazing, and I love the teammates I've had and bonds I have built. But having options is important. You need to look at what direction the team may be going in, and what direction you want yourself to go in. There is a thrill in exploring potential options and being apart of the "free agent frenzy" that has always enticed me and that most players experience at least once in their career. At this point I am in my prime and I need to evaluate what is best for myself.

 

Q: If you don't end up re-signing in DC, where would you like to go?

RL: *smirks* You know I haven't thought that far ahead yet. I don't have any lists at the moment, since I am not even sure if that is for sure the direction I want to go. We just got knocked out last week, so these are all fresh thoughts on my mind. It has been nice to be home so have been able to get some private time to get my thoughts together. We will see where these next few weeks take us, and where we end up.

 

Q: Thank you again for joining us Ronan, it has been a pleasure sitting down with you. And best of luck this off-season.

 

It is clear there are questions in the air in regards to Ronan Lavelle's future. It is certainly evident he will be wanted back in DC, but will he choose to go that way? This could be stirring up to be a fun off-season, we will see what happens in regards to players such as Ronan Lavelle and who else's future is a question mark. We have already seen a barrage of re-signings as teams get eliminated. But we still see a list of notables who's status is not certain, and this could be due to a team going into rebuild and the player wanting to go to a contender, a contract a team needs to break due to salary cap concerns as well. We are hoping to get to talk to some of these other potential free agents as we get to the off-season. Who will be next to talk to the mill?

 

Word Count: 1,005

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