The question of who will be Edmonton’s second line center has been asked quite a bit since the trade that sent Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay went down. The Oilers went through free agency, adding wingers and defenders, but no centers. The team fell short in their pursuits of Olli Jokinen and Mike Ribeiro, and reportedly couldn’t swing a deal for Patrik Berglund.
Mueller?:
Peter Mueller did not play in the NHL during the 2013-14 season, instead playing in the Swiss league after he struggled offensively in Florida during the lockout shortened 2013 season. Mueller was once a high draft pick by the Coyotes, going 8th overall in 2006. He’s only 26 years old and represents a potential option for Edmonton down the middle.
The native of Minnesota stands in at 6’2″ and 204 pounds, meaning he has some size to him. The problem with Mueller is injury, as he missed chunks of the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2011-12 seasons while totally missing the 2010-11 season. It’s been a major issue for him, and it ended up costing him his job in Colorado as the Av’s didn’t trust him to stay healthy.
What About His Play:
During the 2012-13 season, Mueller missed a lot of time, playing in only 32 games, his fifth season in a row battling injury problems. In terms of how he played however, he was decent while out there.
Mueller is a guy that, when in the lineup, has posted some solid possession numbers. The puck seems to be moving in the right direction when he is out there, evident by his 50.4% Corsi For on a mediocre Colorado team in 2011-12, and his very solid 52.6% mark in Florida during the 2013 season.
Mueller played in only 32 tilts with Colorado during his decent Corsi season there, and played in 43 games in 2013 with Florida, although in a 48 game schedule, meaning he was able to stay relatively healthy for the first time in years, a good sign.
Offensively, Mueller is a below-average to average player. In those 43 games with Florida, he posted only 17 points, which would put him a little over 30 during the course of a full 82. He posted 16 in 32 games for Colorado in 2011-12. Post-injuries this has been what Mueller is, but prior to them he was a solid offensive player.
He score 20 points in 15 games in 2009-10 with Colorado following a trade from Phoenix were he posted 17 points. The season before that, he posted 36 points in 72 games, and scored 54 in his rookie year, where he played 81 games.
The slight drop off offensively comes following the injuries he suffered and the significant development time that he missed. It caused him some problems when he came back, and he has not shown the offensive potential he once had at NHL level since. In this regard, Mueller would be a risk by any offensively.
The offensive potential is there, we’ve seen it before in the NHL, but it’s been a while and it’s a real possibility we never see it again. That said, he tried to find his game this year in the Swiss A-league, playing in 49 games and scoring 46 points while staying relatively healthy.
The Overall Outlook:
Peter Mueller is a bigger guy with some potential. The former top-ten pick is still only 26 years old, and one would think still has some solid years ahead of him. He’s an injury prone player, but does a lot of things well.
He’s a solid possession player that is looked at favorably by the advanced stats, and is a guy that has been used on the power-play before at the NHL level, including his last stop in Florida during the 2013 season. He’s not overly physical, but he seems like a smart player that can provide something to a team looking for possession players.
There are some warts here, his health is a major concern, he’s missed giant chunks of seasons and a whole entire season battling aliments. His offense has dried up since the injuries as well at the NHL level, and he’s now only producing what would amount to 30-40 points a year.
He’s a risk, but he could be one that pays off. He’s got the talent and he’s got the skill set that Edmonton needs. The only thing is, will the major question marks hold him back?
Should Edmonton Sign Him?:
If Peter Mueller is willing to accept an invite to training camp, it’s a no doubter to bring him in an see if he can hang at the NHL level. That said, I believe it will require a contract to get him, and I’d have to think long and hard about giving him a deal. Mueller has the skill set, but those questions really scare me.
If he is willing to do a one-year deal worth $1 M or lower, I would sign him, but anything more would be an overpay.
Signing Mueller would give Edmonton some competition for the second line center spot, and could turn out to be a bargain deal, you know, the ones the good teams seemingly find every single off-season?
It might be worth the risk if the Oilers decide that Andrei Loktionov isn’t a good option and a trade can’t be completed. It’d be better than doing nothing, that’s for sure.
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