I wonder how much input Castron had here too. I believe Columbus picked around where Mueller went in the draft that year, so it's possible he's been a player on Castron's radar for a while.
devilsblood;135988959 I also think Shero was probably willing to overpay a little given we had such an immediate need said:It was also reported that Buffalo and maybe one or two other teams had interest in him as well, I think people forget that when talking about the price.
Some, but not most in my opinion.
I think a lot of people questioned the trade, not knowing much about Mueller and it seemed to be a lot to pay for his track record - but I think most people figured there must be some reason why Shero was willing to pay this price for him and were willing to wait and see how he plays versus writing off the trade.
It's almost like he's an NHL caliber defenseman that's been polishing his game in the minors for three years because he's 22 and his NHL team had veteran depth on defense
I think the fear with Mueller is that Shero might have traded for him strictly on draft pedigree. There is a lot of evidence out there that Mueller has not performed to expectations with SJ, even Cordell didn't like the trade when looking at the advanced numbers he posted in the minors, so I think the skepticism was deserved.
I think some of the praise for Mueller is just over exuberance personally. We really haven't seen much and what we have is difficult to interpret in my opinion.. mainly because most of it has been elementary...simple plays and simple situations for the most part. He has passed those test for sure though.
Mueller obviously has some skills. He can skate well, his passing seems very good. But there seems to be a real and unusual reluctancy with Mueller to carry the puck. Once the puck is on his stick it's over to his partner or out. Even in relatively simple situations it's the same thing. It seems to me like it's over rehearsed. Almost as if he's going down a checklist of options.
Too soon to tell anything in my opinion but I'm a bit suspicious of what I'm seeing right now.... I am a bit skeptical of his ability to process what is happening in front of him. I don't know if this is the case or not but decision making seems robotic and we haven't seen 100% game speed with real talent yet.
And it could very well be a part of the plan for him to be playing a ultra simplistic game at this point...so I'm not reading too much into anything right now positive or negative.
I just think the proclamations of "best player on the ice" are without merit and way over the top.
I think some of the praise for Mueller is just over exuberance personally. We really haven't seen much and what we have is difficult to interpret in my opinion.. mainly because most of it has been elementary...simple plays and simple situations for the most part. He has passed those test for sure though.
Mueller obviously has some skills. He can skate well, his passing seems very good. But there seems to be a real and unusual reluctancy with Mueller to carry the puck. Once the puck is on his stick it's over to his partner or out. Even in relatively simple situations it's the same thing. It seems to me like it's over rehearsed. Almost as if he's going down a checklist of options.
Too soon to tell anything in my opinion but I'm a bit suspicious of what I'm seeing right now.... I am a bit skeptical of his ability to process what is happening in front of him. I don't know if this is the case or not but decision making seems robotic and we haven't seen 100% game speed with real talent yet.
And it could very well be a part of the plan for him to be playing a ultra simplistic game at this point...so I'm not reading too much into anything right now positive or negative.
I just think the proclamations of "best player on the ice" are without merit and way over the top.
Like was mentioned, I think he is trying to build his confidence back up. That play where he stole the puck and then deked the 2nd player out of his skates in the MTL game reminded me SO much of Larsson.
I like what I've seen out of Mueller so far but I wish we could hear the opinions about him if he hadn't scored 2 goals off of a faceoff win.
I like what I've seen out of Mueller so far but I wish we could hear the opinions about him if he hadn't scored 2 goals off of a faceoff win.
I like what I've seen out of Mueller so far but I wish we could hear the opinions about him if he hadn't scored 2 goals off of a faceoff win.
Good thing there's been more talk about his skating and outlet passes then
Anchoring bias is real. I too like his play in his own zone but I'm not sure all the takes would be the same without the 2 goals.
Anchoring bias is real. I too like his play in his own zone but I'm not sure all the takes would be the same without the 2 goals.