St. Louis Blues sign Peter Mueller
By Cory Buck
The St. Louis Blues signed forward Peter Mueller to a one year two-way deal, per multiple sources. Mueller last played in the NHL in the 2012-13 season with the Florida Panthers. After a year overseas, Mueller is hoping to revive his career on a Blues club that’s hoping it can catch lightning in a bottle with a low-risk high-reward deal.
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Pro Hockey Talk writes that Mueller, “last played in the NHL in 2013, as a member of the Florida Panthers. The 26-year-old spent last season in Switzerland, racking up 46 points in 49 games for Kloten.”
Mueller was the eighth overall pick in the 2006 draft and immediately impressed as a rookie for the Phoenix Coyotes, tallying 22 goals and 54 points in his rookie campaign.
However, that was his best offensive season to date and Mueller hasn’t scored more than 13 goals in an NHL season since, thanks to a combination of bad injury luck and a poor supporting cast in both Phoenix and Colorado, where he was traded in the 2009-10 season.
Despite his limited offensive upside, Mueller brings a sound two-way game to the Blues, which is a must for anyone playing under Ken Hitchcock. He posted strong possession numbers in his last season with the Panthers and will finally find himself on a bona fide playoff contender.
In such an environment, Peter Mueller just might thrive and show enough to resurrect his NHL career and propel the Blues beyond the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.