A view from Phoenix

Published 9:00 pm Monday, April 23, 2007

Here’s a little tidbit for everyone. I had a brief chat with Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic today. Having seen Peter Mueller participate in Phoenix Coyotes scrimmages he labeled Mueller, “the real deal.” He also thinks there’s a strong possibility the Coyotes will be looking to get younger next season. So there’s at least one person in Phoenix who believes Mueller has a good chance of playing for the Coyotes next season rather than for Everett.

The Coyotes are still sorting out their front-office situation after the firings of general manager Mike Barnett, director of hockey operations Cliff Fletcher and assistant general manager Laurence Gilman. Expect Mueller to sign a deal with the Coyotes shortly after new personnel are in place.

As for the playoffs, I think you’d have to say things have gone to form. The home team won every game so far. The big question is whether Prince George can continue the trend against Vancouver. The Giants really took it to Everett’s conquerers in the first two games. They even have Cougars coach Drew Schoneck considering replacing goaltender Real Cyr — the same Real Cyr who completely shut down the Silvertips — with Scott Bowles. We’ll see if Prince George has any inspiration left to draw upon.