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The only reason the Boston Bruins were even able to sign
Jarome Iginla last summer was because of the one-year, bonus-laden contract that they’re currently paying the price for.
A 30-goal season from Iginla and one Presidents’ Trophy later, you could make the case that the Iginla signing was certainly worth it (though you’d get a strong and justifiable pushback from the ‘a second round exit is unacceptable crowd’). The 37-year-old Iginla is now gone though, ditching the Hub for a three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, and the B’s are in search of a right-handed shot to plug in somewhere on their ring wing.
The problem: They have absolutely no money to do so.
Unless you’re, oh I don’t know, a 26-year-old forward with a significant and semi-alarming injury history that just spent last season in the Swiss League. Oh hey there,
Peter Mueller.
Most hockey fans sort of shudder when they think of Mueller. It’s nothing against him per se. It’s just really one of hockey’s sadder stories. A highly touted talent taken with the eighth overall pick back in 2006, Mueller’s best known for concussion problems that have kept him out of a combined 130 contests in just five seasons in the National Hockey League. But when in the lineup, Mueller’s proven to have been a productive skater, recording 63 goals and 160 points in 297 games.
Last seen in an NHL rink as a member of the Florida Panthers during the abbreviated 2012-13 season, Mueller tallied eight goals and 17 points in 43 contests. The points didn’t necessarily come with the frequency the ‘Cats expected, especially with Mueller spending most of his nights on a line with
Jonathan Huberdeau, and ultimately seemed to pave the way for his non-tender by Florida that summer.
He then decided to spend some time with the Kloten Flyers of the Swiss-A league, where he recorded 24 goals and 46 points (tops in the Swiss league) in just 49 games played.
And after a year in Switzerland, it sounds like Mueller’s ready for another NHL chance.
So, how would it work in Boston? Well, for one, Muller is a right-handed shot. There’s a plus. He can also play center and wing. And by now we all know how much the Black-and-Gold love that. But above all else, Mueller seems like a talent that -- though with multiple suitors -- could be had for relatively cheap money. Or had for a bonus-heavy contract at the very most.
Mueller also has a connection in the Boston hockey ops department, too.
Boston’s current Director of Amateur Scouting,
Keith Gretzky, had the same role for the Coyotes back in 2006 when they took Mueller with their first selection of the draft.
Ultimately, Mueller is a guy that would make sense for the Bruins given their situation for a number of reasons. He’s not expected to break the bank, and he could come to the Hub without having to be a legitimate top-liner. Maybe he’s an even better fit on Boston’s third line, too, if the Bruins do indeed decide to go with
Loui Eriksson up with the
David Krejci line.
“We’ve got seven or eight names on our board and we have seven or eight names that are subject of trade discussion so I’ll look at some stuff and we’ll see where it goes,” B’s general manager
Peter Chiarelli said on July 1st. “I don’t know where it will go, often times there is a first wave then the second wave really sometimes doesn’t have them for a week or so. And it may not even be a second wave it may be coming in little signing, small signings. So it’s just a matter of just continuing to go into the market, make your phone calls and see where there is a fit. There are a couple guys that I think would fit with our team so we’ll see where it goes.”
No affordable stone left unturned, I suppose.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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