The Saskatchewan Rush didn’t lose the 2024-25 NLL season. They just didn’t win it. There’s a difference, and that difference matters for understanding what this team actually is and where it’s headed.

Thirteen wins. Five losses. Tied with the Buffalo Bandits for the best record in the entire league. A Goalie of the Year. A Defensive Player of the Year. A GM of the Year. And a Cup Final appearance that went to three games before the Bandits finally pulled away in a 15-6 blowout. This is not a team that failed. This is a team that ran into a dynasty and blinked first in Game 3.

The Regular Season Was Real

Going 13-5 is not a fluke. In a league where parity has been creeping in for years, matching Buffalo’s record from top to bottom of the standings table is a genuine achievement. The Rush did it with the best goaltending in the NLL and one of the most disciplined defensive systems in the sport.

Frank Scigliano’s Goalie of the Year award was not a close call. A .795 save percentage and a 9.40 goals-against average in a league where 10-goal games are table stakes — that’s elite. Scigliano gave Saskatchewan a floor every single night. You knew what you were getting. In a playoff series when pressure spikes and shooters get more creative, having a goalie your defense trusts changes everything about how a team can structure its scheme.

Then there’s Matt Hossack. Defensive Player of the Year is often the trophy nobody covers until they read the awards press release. That’s a failure of coverage, because Hossack was the engine behind a Rush penalty kill and defensive zone structure that made Saskatchewan miserable to score against. He earned that award in a game-by-game grind that doesn’t show up in highlight reels.

Derek Keenan Is Building Something

The GM of the Year going to Derek Keenan isn’t just a cap tip to a good season — it’s recognition that Saskatchewan has been constructed deliberately. This isn’t a roster that stumbled into contention. Keenan has put together a team that is defensively coherent, goaltending-stable, and competitive in a conference loaded with legitimate contenders.

Halifax went 11-7 and still got bounced in the semis. Calgary made the playoffs at 10-8. The East is a gauntlet, and Saskatchewan navigated it with the best record in the league. That doesn’t happen by accident. Keenan deserved the award.

The Cup Final: Games 1 and 2 Were a Series

Let’s not rewrite history in either direction. Saskatchewan took Buffalo to overtime in Game 2 and lost 11-10. That is a competitive series through two games. The Rush had legitimate chances to go up 2-0 on the defending champions. If they convert that overtime game, we’re talking about a potential championship — not a “moral victory” season.

Game 3 was something else entirely. A 15-6 loss in a deciding game is the kind of result that obscures how competitive the series actually was. Ian MacKay took home Finals MVP for Buffalo, and Dhane Smith’s 102 assists — a new NLL record — were always going to be a problem for any opponent. When Buffalo is healthy, hot, and playing with a series on the line, they are the best team in the sport. Saskatchewan found that out the hard way.

But losing Game 3 by nine goals doesn’t erase losing Game 2 by one in overtime. Context matters.

Dynasty in Waiting? The Case For

Here’s what Saskatchewan has going for it. Scigliano is not old. Hossack is not old. The defensive identity Keenan has built is structural — it doesn’t depend on one transcendent offensive player having a career year. Systems-based teams age better than star-dependent ones, and the Rush are a systems team. They will be competitive next year because their foundation doesn’t require everything to break right.

Keenan has also proven he can evaluate and acquire talent. GM of the Year isn’t just about the current roster — it’s about the track record of decisions. Saskatchewan has a front office that isn’t going to blow this up chasing short-term fixes.

Dynasty in Waiting? The Case Against

Buffalo just won its seventh NLL title. Second three-peat in league history. The Bandits are not slowing down unless something structural changes, and nothing in this offseason suggests it will. Dhane Smith broke his own assist record with 102. That’s not a guy who’s fading. Connor Fields won MVP out of Rochester with 122 points, and he’s not even on Buffalo’s roster — meaning the league’s best team might not even have its best individual player.

The path for Saskatchewan to win a title runs directly through Buffalo, and right now the Bandits own that road. The Rush are good enough to get back to the Final. They’ve proven that. Whether they’re good enough to close out Buffalo in a deciding game — the 15-6 Game 3 loss does not answer that question optimistically.

There’s also the offensive question. Saskatchewan’s regular season record was built heavily on not giving up goals. At some point in a deep playoff run, you need to score enough to win close games when your defense breaks down for a period or two. The data on whether the Rush can sustain that offensively through a full postseason is mixed at best.

The Bottom Line

The Saskatchewan Rush are a legitimately well-run franchise with the best goaltender in the league, an elite defensive anchor, and a GM who has earned his reputation. They are one of three or four teams that can realistically win an NLL title in any given year. That is not nothing — that’s actually the ceiling for most organizations in this league.

They’re not a dynasty yet. But they’re built like one could grow there. The question is whether they can find the offensive gear to match what their defense already provides — and whether Buffalo gives them an opening to find out. Right now, the Bandits aren’t offering any.