In the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association's recent listing of free agency-eligible players, the Toronto Rock again highlighted the show.

Last year, the Rock won the NLL championship and were rewarded by seeing seven players made available to any team. This year, they did the same, but will have nine possible absences to fill this year.

Five of Toronto's nine free agents -- Pat Coyle, Chris Gill, Russ Heard, Dan Stroup, and Rodd Squire -- are repeats from a year ago. The only other returning member of the free agent class of 1999 is Rochester's Kevin Dance.

Also facing a large exodus of players is Syracuse, with four free agents-to-be. However, with the team about to be sold (and likely moved), roster turnover could be dramatic regardless of free agency.

By league rules, a veteran player who has played for at least three seasons and played or dressed for at least twenty-three scheduled regular season games before the beginning of a season becomes eligible for restricted free agency if he meets one of the following three conditions:

1. The player does not agree to terms with the club owning the right to his services and sits out for one full year;
   
   
2. The club owning the right to the player's services offers compensation lower than that which the player earned in a previous season;
   
   
3. The player is not offered compensation at or above the league-wide per-game average salary for the last season.

A team has seventy-two hours after receiving an offer sheet to match or beat the offer in order to retain the player's rights. No compensation will be awarded to teams that lose free agents.

The following players are eligible for free agency:

Albany Attack:
   Derek General
   Ryan Sanderson
New York Saints:
   Tim Langton
   Blake Miller
Philadelphia Wings:
   John Gagliardi
   Tom Slate
Rochester Knighthawks:
   Kevin Dance
   Rusty Kruger
Syracuse Smash:
   Owen Benedict
   Bill Edell
   Ron Klausner
   Paul Talmo
Toronto Rock:
   Pat Coyle
   Colin Doyle
   Chris Gill
   Dean Harrison
   Russ Heard
   Chris Langdale
   Kim Squire
   Rodd Squire
   Dan Stroup

Buffalo and Pittsburgh do not have any free agency-eligible players.

The PLPA web site contributed to this article.