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Muller Poised for Greatness
#1

<div align="center">MULLER POISED FOR GREATNESS</div>

“The Edmonton Blizzard have reportedly traded star forward Riko Muerto to the Hamilton Steelhawks.”

It was at that moment that the rumours began to seem like reality. For the first time, Friedrich Muller thought it likely that he might actually be on the way out of Hamilton - his home for the first three seasons of his SHL career. He had seen the talk about it, of course. It was hard to ignore. The twitter “in-the-knows” had been all over it ever since the first report that he might be on the trading block in Hamilton. It had always been in the back of his mind – rumours that you might have to up and leave the only SHL team and city you had ever known would be hard for anyone to ignore. Still, it wasn’t until Muerto had been dealt to his now former club that Muller really thought “this could be happening.”

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It made too much sense. Who else could have been going to Edmonton in the deal? Realistically, he didn’t have to wait long to find out, but those brief moments between hearing the initial reports and receiving the phone call from Jakob Tanner confirming the deal seemed an eternity at the time. It’s the cruel truth that everyone who makes it as a pro comes to learn sooner or later: at this level, the game we all love is a business above all else.

Expectations were sky high from the start. Edmonton fans are demanding, having been spoiled by five Challenge Cups over the course of their illustrious history. And Muerto was arguably the face of their franchise, leaving in the prime of his career. Of course, Blizzard fans are educated ones and were very aware of what they were getting in Friedrich Muller… but that didn’t change the fact that Muerto was supposed to lead them back to the Challenge Cup. In an instant, he was gone. Big shoes to fill.

Of course, nobody would have higher expectations for Muller than Muller himself. That had always been the case. In fact, that can probably be said for any elite player, but Muller was certainly no different. He was all too familiar with high expectations by the time he arrived in the “City of Champions.” After all, Hamilton was no stranger to Challenge Cup victories in their own right, and he had been dubbed the future of the franchise as the club’s fourth overall draft pick in the now renowned Season 20 draft class. Fresh off back-to-back successful seasons (putting up 40 and 37 points in Seasons 21 and 22 respectively), Muller joined in with everybody else in believing he should be competing for the Stevens Trophy as the league’s premier defenseman.

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Unfortunately, that would not happen in his first season with the Blizzard, as his final line read 9 goals, 18 assists, totaling 27 points.An impressive stat-line to be sure, but one that Muller would be disappointed with. It’s never easy, after all, to join a new team with a new coach, a new system, and new opponents, and hit the ground running. It happens very rarely, and Season 23 would certainly be no indicator of Muller’s long term value to the Blizzard franchise. It wouldn’t take much longer for Muller to make his presence felt on the Blizzard blue-line – in fact, Muller “arrived” so to speak in that seasons’ playoffs.

19 points in 20 games made Muller the most valuable player on the Blizzard during a playoff run that saw them come just two wins away from a record sixth Challenge Cup. The narrative of his season turned incredibly quickly, now being touted as the cornerstone player of the team and a guy who plainly shows up in pressure situations. Muller would lead all Blizzard in scoring in that post-season, even finishing above red-hot scorers such as Mark Longford and Miles Berger. Fans were warming up to Muller, and were eager to see more in Season 24 with another season of experience under his belt.

As Season 24 came and went, Muller saw tremendous improvement in the regular season. He would return to pretty much his Steelhawks form, though in his own mind he knew he was capable of more. With 35 points, Muller was the leading scorer among Blizzard blue-liners, and was a single point away from leading the entire team in scoring (not to mention coming second in hits as Muller was a physical tour de force, throwing the body 120 times over the course of the season). If not for an anemic team offense overall, Muller could certainly have been among the favourites for a Stevens trophy in S24.

Unfortunately for the Blizzard, their fans, and certainly Friedrich Muller, the team failed to qualify for the post-season even after adding some strong depth to the lineup in the form of Armin Brovalchuk. While the ultimate goal for the entire team is and has always been to win the Challenge Cup, this was specifically disappointing for Muller who was, of course, just a season removed from an absolute showcase performance in the Season 23 Playoffs.

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As a result, Season 25 promises to be an important year for Muller. He has already endeared himself in the hearts of his teammates and of course those of the Edmonton fans, but S25 could be the season Muller goes from fan favourite and cornerstone player to folk hero status. Entering the prime of his career, Muller is poised to show the world just what he is capable of – alongside capable defensive partner Jackson Rogers-Tanaka, with whom he has formed one of the most stable pairings in the league over the past two seasons.

That trade in the off-season between Season 22 and 23 was a big one. It was one that developed very quickly and caught a few people off guard. It was also one of those rare deals that both sides will be very pleased with. Riko Muerto has recently played a big role in a Steelhawks Cup win, and has since announced his retirement from the game of hockey. Friedrich Muller looks to have many years of dominance ahead of him, and as a leader on a growing team, hopes to bring a Cup or two of his own back to the City of Champions. His ability to do so should never be in question - he is a player that is simply poised for greatness.

Quote:Kit wanted me to write him an article as part of his contract extension, so here it is. When we made this trade, we knew very well that Kit was an elite talent but we couldn't have imagined the contributions he'd make to our team. He has been fantastic for us so far and we are incredibly lucky to have a guy like him around. Cheers Kit!
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#2

Who

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#3

Never wrote one fucking article about me

Picking favourites

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#4

Is he still relevant?

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Please take care of it. Here are some helpful links just in case.

Algonquin College Student Support Services - 613-727-4723
Crisis Text Line - Text 'HOME' to 741741
Distress Centre Ottawa and Region - 613-288-3311
Good2Talk - 1-866-925-5454
Kid's Help Phone - 1-800-668-6868
Mental Health Hotline Ontario - 1-866-531-2600
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1-800-273-8255

Click here for a list of crisis centres within Canada
Suicide Prevention Resource Centre
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education

If you have the contact info to your local mental help centres, let me know!

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#5

Such a scrub Wink

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#6

#BetterThanBojo

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Thanks Jove for my sig
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#7

I'd like to point out that, while this makes it sound like I traded kit behind his back, he asked out. He and I then worked together for several days to make sure he was going somewhere he would enjoy and Hamilton would get appropriate value in return.



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#8

Quote:Originally posted by Tanner@Aug 6 2015, 09:34 PM
I'd like to point out that, while this makes it sound like I traded kit behind his back, he asked out. He and I then worked together for several days to make sure he was going somewhere he would enjoy and Hamilton would get appropriate value in return.

Absolutely, I didn't mean for this to reflect a whole truth. Otherwise I would have included the waiving of the NTC and such. More of a narrative, apologies for not clarifying.
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#9

₩¤¤¤¤

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syndicate Steelhawks Whalers
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#10

Quote:Originally posted by teztify@Aug 6 2015, 09:37 PM


Absolutely, I didn't mean for this to reflect a whole truth. Otherwise I would have included the waiving of the NTC and such. More of a narrative, apologies for not clarifying.
I just think it reflects badly on a GM to blindside a player like that, so I wanted to make a note. Overall, I really liked the article! And I'm really glad Kit is liking it there. Smile



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