Claimed:World Peace Leaves Hole, Ali Moves to Royals

[MapFreak 120]

Looking to make his mark on a new era in Turku, recently hired General Manager METIS pulled the trigger on the first trade of the S37 Offseason:

 

 Turku Receives:

S38 Bern 1st

 

 Bern Receives:

S38 Turku 3rd

(S37) RW - Azmet Ali, TPE: 110 (DAV)

 

The Outlaws GM and his trading partner, Bern Royals GM AwfulHomesick, found the negotiations smooth and both sides feel like they’ve made a good deal. If Turku’s intentions are to acquire Bruno Wolf (based on the trade voided as the deadline expired), then opening up space on the first line wing would benefit the rookie GM.

 

Expectations are high for Azmet Ali coming into Bern. Said AwfulHomesick on the trade, “With [Ron] World Peace on his way out, we need a new offensive anchor and I believe Ali has proven himself as a player … to make the step to a first line forward in the VHLM. We welcome him to Bern with open arms.”

 

Ron World Peace indeed leaves some big skates to fill. The ‘M All-star tallied 185 points patrolling the blue line for the Royals last season – a monolithic feat achieved by few to ever pass through the ‘M. World Peace is projected to be a franchise defenseman that teams can build an offense around.

 

While Ali is expected to continue developing, his 76 points for the Outlaws last season doesn’t exactly fill the hole left by World Peace. He’ll have to make some improvements to meet those expectations placed on him with the move to Bern. The move could be the first in a paradigm shift for the Royals, who have recently relied on a strong offense to carry them. Ali is more of a defensive winger (though his offensive game is improving), which could mean that AwfulHomesick is planning to shift to a stronger two-way game.

 

Of course, Ali is not alone in generating offense. He’s projected to be playing with up-and-coming left winger Steven Tremblay, Season 38’s 5^th overall pick, on the top line for the Royals. Tremblay didn’t have an overwhelming Season 37, but the two have shown the foundations of chemistry during off season training. GM AwfulHomesick is optimistic, and is actively trying to find a comparable anchor for the two. Beyond the first line are notable ‘M forwards Kristian Stormborn, Milos Denis, and Aaron Hartley as well as lesser known defensemen Lights Bokan. With a few waiver pickups during the offseason, the Royals will once again be poised to make the playoffs at the end of Season 38.

 

But the fans and management aren’t the only ones setting high expectations for Ali – his biggest critic is himself “Obviously this is the biggest challenge I’ve faced,” said the American-born winger of himself. “I have to play the best I’ve ever played, you know? Obviously the fans want to see me succeed, and they want to see the team succeed, you know? I had a good run in Turku and I grew a lot there and the management there placed a lot of faith in me and I’m grateful for that, but at the end of the day it’s Bern who wanted me more, you know? I’m ready to play and ready to give the club, the fans, and the city what they wanted me for.”

 

[Will 4,660]

Content: 3/3 

548 words. Nicely written. First of all, good luck in Bern this season. There is definitely a big void left with the departure of World Peace and Blaine Olynick, some may question whether or not the rest of the Bern squad as it is will be able to fill it.

Grammar: 2/2 

Only found one thing, good job!

 

Said AwfulHomesick on the trade = I don't really like how this was worded. It maybe should have been after the quote like, "...open arms.", said Bern GM AwfulHomesick.

 

Appearance: 1/1 

Looks alright. A title and maybe a picture somewhere in the middle would have made it great.

Overall: 6/6

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