EVERETT – With the 2006-07 season now over, there’s one burning question that will hang over the Everett Silvertips organization throughout the offseason.
Has Peter Mueller played his final game with the Silvertips?
The talented playmaking center is eligible to return to Everett next season as a 19-year-old. However, there’s a distinct possibility Mueller will be plying his trade in the NHL when the fall returns.
“I hope I’m there,” Mueller said of the NHL. “If not, I’m coming to a place that’s unbelievable. Like I said at the beginning of the season, it’s a win-win situation for me. But this time I’m going to do everything I can and hopefully I stick up there.”
Mueller put all his talents on display this season. He led the league in points per game with 78 in 51 contests, and was named a first-team Western Conference all-star. He then led the Tips in scoring during the playoffs with 16 points in 12 games.
This from a player who’s already considered a top NHL prospect. The Phoenix Coyotes selected Mueller eighth overall in the 2006 NHL draft, and he was one of Phoenix’s last cuts prior to this season despite being just 18 years old. Add in Phoenix’s rough season, in which the team again failed to make the playoffs and subsequently purged its front office, and it’s likely the Coyotes will be looking for a new direction.
Since he’ll be 19, there’s only two possible destinations for Mueller next season: Phoenix or Everett. A player who comes through the major junior system is ineligible for minor professional hockey until his 20-year-old season.
So is Mueller ready for the NHL?
“I think he’s got a really good shot at it,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “Phoenix is going through a management change right now and it’s really going to depend on a philosophy of management, whether they’re going to come and try to shore Phoenix up through free agents and veterans, or are they going to come in and say, ‘Hey, it’s time to move on and bring our young players along.’ And no matter what philosophical approach the organization takes, he might just flat out be ready to play at that level. I think there’s a real good chance he’ll make the team next year.”
The situation in Phoenix’s front office clouds the immediate picture. The Coyotes have yet to replace general manager Mike Barnett, director of hockey operations Cliff Fletcher or assistant general manager Laurence Gilman, who were fired earlier this month.
Until new personnel are in place, it won’t be known what path the Coyotes will take.
But despite the front-office upheaval, Mueller said it’s still likely he’ll be signing a contract with Phoenix in the coming weeks. Signing a deal doesn’t mean Mueller won’t be back in Everett next season, but it likely increases the chances he’ll be in Phoenix.
Because of the uncertainty surrounding Mueller, the Tips are preparing for life without him.
“Right now we look at it that he’s not going to be here, we can’t count on it,” Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said. “If he does it’s a bonus for us.”
Whether the Tips have Mueller next season could significantly affect Everett’s prospects.
“Let’s face it, he’s one of the premier players in our league and we’d love to have him,” Soetaert said. “It would definitely help our hockey club. But we’re moving ahead without him.”
As for Mueller himself, he sounds like a player eager to move on to the next level.
“Let’s just say I want to go and fulfill my dream,” Mueller said. “Hopefully I’ll start a new chapter in my life there.”
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