Peter Mueller Reportedly Leaving St. Louis Blues Organization

After spending training camp with the St. Louis Blues, forward Peter Mueller has reportedly asked to be placed on unconditional waivers, presumably for the purpose of exploring playing opportunities in Europe.

The 26-year-old, who was the eighth overall pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2006 NHL Draft and had a 54-point season for the Coyotes in 2007-08, signed with the Blues on a two-way contract in late July and was said to have a decent chance at making the opening NHL roster. He had played in Switzerland during 2013-14 and was looking to rejuvenate his career following a series of concussions that derailed his NHL production.

Mueller failed to explicitly distinguish himself during camp and reportedly had some issues adjusting back to the smaller ice surface of the NHL. When another European import, Joakim Lindstrom, greatly impressed during camp, it knocked Mueller out of consideration, and he was sent back to the AHL Chicago Wolves on Sunday.

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Unfortunately, Mueller never reported to Chicago. He seemingly expected to make the NHL roster right away and despite his two-way contract, was not actually committed to going to the minors. In fairness to him, he may not exactly have received full disclosure from the Blues front office, as NHL.com’s Lou Korac tweeted a quote from Blues GM Doug Armstrong on Tuesday that when the Blues signed Mueller, “they had him in their top nine (and) planned to start him there.”

With the elimination of Mueller from the fold, an opportunity will be created for several other guys to move up the depth chart. 21-year-old forward Dmitrij Jaskin, who was sent to Chicago on Tuesday, probably is the first forward who would be considered for a call-up in the event of an injury. Beyond him, things may be less certain now that Mueller, an established NHL veteran, is not in the mix. It could give a young player like Ty Rattie or Yannick Veilleux a better chance at contributing at the NHL level, or it could create a chance for a former NHLer such as Colin Fraser, John McCarthy, or Jeremy Welsh to rise up to hockey’s highest level once again.