Blues Sign Peter Mueller

[dmiles2186]

Quick reaction: love it. 2 way deal, lower risk, could have a nice reward. Never lived up to his draft status, but still relatively young.

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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck- ... ntentstory

Peter Mueller signed a 1-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, getting another chance to revive an NHL career that was devastated by concussions.

Mueller spent last season with the Kloten Flyers of the Swiss-A League, notching 46 points in 49 games, good for second in the league in scoring. (Matthew Lombardi, who led the League, earned a 2-year contract with the New York Rangers earlier this summer.)

His journey in the NHL has been fraught with frustration.

He was a No. 8 overall pick for the Phoenix Coyotes in 2006, scoring 54 points in 81 games in his rookie season and then never hitting that total again.

He was traded with Kevin Porter to Colorado Avalanche for Wojtek Wolski in 2010, and then entered concussion hell. A hit by Rob Blake concussed him late in the season, and then he had another one in the following preseason. Post-concussion syndrome plagued him during his last season with the Avs. and they chose not to re-sign him.

Mueller bounced to the NHL’s Island of Misfit Toys, a.k.a. the Florida Panthers, before the lockout and had 17 points in 43 games before heading overseas last season.

So the good news is that Mueller has been healthy for the last two seasons, although neither are the 82-game grind of a full NHL regular-season. Thus, the Blues are taking a worthy gamble, especially on a two-year contract.

If Mueller latches on, he’s an improvement on their bottom six, which is lean and mean but not laden with proven offensive talent outside of Patrik Berglund. This move also means that Magnus Paajarvi is going to have some competition in camp for an offensive role on the team’s third line. Assuming, of course, he makes it through camp without a trade.

Nice signing for the Blues, a nice reclamation project for Ken Hitchcock and a nice landing spot for Mueller in his return to the League.

[STLADOGG]

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdis ... ?pid=89967
Had a good year is the Swiss league last season.

[ViPeRx007]

I wondered what happened to him. Now I know. I'm a big fan of this signing. There's no real risk, it's added depth, and the guy has had success at the NHL level prior to his injuries. It has the potential to be a real steal of a signing.

Camp is going to be interesting this year with a couple of spots still up for grabs and a growing number of players challenging for them.

[KrustyKevo]

This is a good signing. I really hope Mueller has a rebound year. This guy looked like he had so much potential a few years ago.

[glen a richter]

if this keeps Ott off the ice, then win.

[WaukeeBlues]

Really, REALLY like this signing.

I'm assuming it's a basement level price, one year term, no real risk, adds depth and also competition in training camp. Love it.

[goon attack]

Great. Another pansy.

[dmiles2186]

I'm assuming it's a basement level price, one year term, no real risk, adds depth and also competition in training camp. Love it.

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[not_a_wings_fan]

This is a guy who scored 20 goals as a rookie and has been lower ever year since.

Maybe there is upside, but this is a very solid depth move.

[Jaykay]

He was over here the last year, but not playing for my hometown team, so I did not follow him that closely, but somehow I only saw him score goals. He has a sick shot, and was one of the best foreign players (as you may know, maybe not, teams are only allowed to dress 4 players from other countries a game and I believe 8 a season) last year here. This, btw is the reason why switzerland is not that bad in hockies

Back to Mueller. Perfect signing (2-way). Since I do not watch nhl on a daily basis, I do not know if he has enough upside for the nhl, but he definitely kicked some asses over here.

[ecbm]

Peter Mueller signed a 1-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday...

the Blues are taking a worthy gamble, especially on a two-year contract

Well, which is it-one year or two?

not laden with proven offensive talent outside of Patrik Berglund

Er, so many things to say. Proven offensive talent? C'mon writers-we're not GMs of opposing teams; stop with the hard sell. In his best season he had exactly as many points as Mueller's best season. Also, this is my problem with the moves the Blues have made: Berglund as the great white hope of the bottom 6?! It looks like the FO thinks the top two lines are now so stacked that it won't matter that lines 3 & 4 contribute little scoring. We'll see.

Great. Another pansy.

Have to say, the thought did cross my mind. Five Swedes? Well when the NHL mandates Euro-style rink dimensions this team will be perfectly placed...hey, it could happen-they're well down the road toward banning all contact.

Gushing over this signing is just the sort of hometown rationalization I was talking about on the other thread. I have no problem here, it's great to have depth but I'd be telling a whopper if I claimed to be excited. Apparently he had a good year with PHX but I honestly don't remember it. Whatever he did in Europe comes with a giant asterisk. And if I were excited by things like this, I'd have probably caught a coronary when we signed Stastny...

[dmiles2186]

Gushing over this signing is just the sort of hometown rationalization I was talking about on the other thread. I have no problem here, it's great to have depth but I'd be telling a whopper if I claimed to be excited. Apparently he had a good year with PHX but I honestly don't remember it. Whatever he did in Europe comes with a giant asterisk. And if I were excited by things like this, I'd have probably caught a coronary when we signed Stastny...

It's all about upside. No one is in this thread proclaiming this guy is going to come in and score 30 goals and 90 points. For the cost, age, potential (was the 8th overall pick of his draft) is what far outweighs the negative. If he sucks? Who cares. 1 year deal, he's gone, we try something else. If he's serviceable? He's a depth call up for the bottom 6, which in my opinion, is a better depth call up than we've had in recent years (Keith Aucoin, ftw!). If by miracle of all miracles he can somehow duplicate his rookie season? More power to him.

But it's a 1 year, 2 way deal. This is more of a move for Chicago than anything else, but it gives him a chance to play his way up. I just don't see how anyone can view this deal with any sort of downside.

[not_a_wings_fan]

Have to say, the thought did cross my mind. Five Swedes? Well when the NHL mandates Euro-style rink dimensions this team will be perfectly placed...hey, it could happen-they're well down the road toward banning all contact.

Gushing over this signing is just the sort of hometown rationalization I was talking about on the other thread. I have no problem here, it's great to have depth but I'd be telling a whopper if I claimed to be excited. Apparently he had a good year with PHX but I honestly don't remember it. Whatever he did in Europe comes with a giant asterisk. And if I were excited by things like this, I'd have probably caught a coronary when we signed Stastny...

He's from MN, USA, btw. Not a Swede...just played there for a year.

I don't see anyone gushing over this signing, maybe I missed it.

IMO, it's a solid depth move to acquire a prime aged player with multiple years experience in the NHL, a 20 goal season, and on a cheap two-way deal. I would have rather seen two moves like this than the deal for Ott.

[glen a richter]

not laden with proven offensive talent outside of Patrik Berglund

Er, so many things to say. Proven offensive talent? C'mon writers-we're not GMs of opposing teams; stop with the hard sell. In his best season he had exactly as many points as Mueller's best season. Also, this is my problem with the moves the Blues have made: Berglund as the great white hope of the bottom 6?! It looks like the FO thinks the top two lines are now so stacked that it won't matter that lines 3 & 4 contribute little scoring. We'll see.

A Yahoo! commenter is arguing that averaging between 35-50 points a season makes Berglund a proven offensive talent and that his production is "plenty good". This commenter is a franking idiot. I'm wondering if it might be JesusISNTLegit.

[ComradeT]

Have to say, the thought did cross my mind. Five Swedes? Well when the NHL mandates Euro-style rink dimensions this team will be perfectly placed...hey, it could happen-they're well down the road toward banning all contact.

Gushing over this signing is just the sort of hometown rationalization I was talking about on the other thread. I have no problem here, it's great to have depth but I'd be telling a whopper if I claimed to be excited. Apparently he had a good year with PHX but I honestly don't remember it. Whatever he did in Europe comes with a giant asterisk. And if I were excited by things like this, I'd have probably caught a coronary when we signed Stastny...

He's from MN, USA, btw. Not a Swede...just played there for a year.

I don't see anyone gushing over this signing, maybe I missed it.

IMO, it's a solid depth move to acquire a prime aged player with multiple years experience in the NHL, a 20 goal season, and on a cheap two-way deal. I would have rather seen two moves like this than the deal for Ott.

He played in Switzerland, not Sweden, dudes. Just sayin'.

[ViPeRx007]

I believe everything I read on the webbernett

[Portland Blues]

Wouldn't it be awesome if he showed up at a beer league in MN and kicked all the old guys' asses!

[ecbm]

OK, ok-Switzerland, not Sweden and he's from Minnesota. I stand corrected. Still, success on the giant ice sheets of Europe comes with a * when you cross the pond.

As for gushing:

love it

I'm a big fan of this signing.

Really, REALLY like this signing.

Again, it's good to have depth. There is potential upside with this guy. But truth told, most likely he makes no impact and is either on another team or out of the NHL in two years; in five years he'll vaguely ring a bell for most here; in ten years it'll be like we never heard of him. It's not a bad move, but this is just tending to business. Nothing to use caps about, or the verb "to love", even if you do remember the horrors of the Keith Aucoin area.

Wouldn't it be awesome if he showed up at a beer league in MN and kicked all the old guys' asses!

You know it! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go school some peewee players...

[WaukeeBlues]

OK, ok-Switzerland, not Sweden and he's from Minnesota. I stand corrected. Still, success on the giant ice sheets of Europe comes with a * when you cross the pond.

As for gushing:

love it

I'm a big fan of this signing.

Really, REALLY like this signing.

Again, it's good to have depth. There is potential upside with this guy. But truth told, most likely he makes no impact and is either on another team or out of the NHL in two years; in five years he'll vaguely ring a bell for most here; in ten years it'll be like we never heard of him. It's not a bad move, but this is just tending to business. Nothing to use caps about, or the verb "to love", even if you do remember the horrors of the Keith Aucoin area.

Wouldn't it be awesome if he showed up at a beer league in MN and kicked all the old guys' asses!

You know it! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go school some peewee players...

And the realistic part of me thinks you're right and this signing, in all likelihood, doesn't amount to much. But what do the Blues lose in giving it a shot? Short answer: virtually nothing. And the potential upside is huge.

In casino terms, you make this gamble every day.

[ViPeRx007]

Maybe we should be banned for "gushing". I'm a "big fan" of the signing because it's multifaceted and interesting; it's added depth, it's low risk, yet still has some potential. If that's wrong then...I don't care.