New Jersey Devils: Mirco Mueller Will Fight For Starting Position
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils were insanely quiet in the offseason, especially when it comes to the blue line. Hopefully, Ray Shero saw something in Mirco Mueller that he thinks he is worth a legit shot.
The New Jersey Devils made a trade that probably doesn’t look great on GM Ray Shero prior to last season. The San Jose Sharks were looking for a landing spot for former first-round pick Mirco Mueller, and Shero was willing to give him a shot. Shero gave up a second and fourth-round pick for Mueller and a fifth-round pick.
Mueller came to the Devils at an awkward time. When he got there, he seemed like a lock to be in the starting lineup, especially since he was protected in the Vegas Golden Knights’ expansion draft. It seemed like his biggest competition for time would be Steve Santini and Dalton Prout.
Then, the Devils signed the best rookie free agent on the market. Will Butcher chose the Devils over the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche, among other teams. That threw a serious wrench in Mueller’s value to the team. He was supposed to be able to work out some nerves on the ice, but now his spot was no longer guaranteed.
On top of that, the Devils traded for Sami Vatanen. Add him to Butcher, John Moore, Andy Greene, Ben Lovejoy and Damon Severson, and all of a sudden there’s no room for Mueller.
This season, things look similar to when Mueller arrived, except with some upside talent. Vatanen can be a top defenseman on the team. Butcher is an offensive juggernaut, and should get a more advanced role. Severson is the same guy that earned a six-year deal last offseason. Greene and Lovejoy have a role, as long as they play around 14-16 minutes per game. However, with Moore heading to Boston, there’s once again a spot for Mueller.
This season, Mueller will need to compete with Santini and Yegor Yakovlev. There will no doubt be a huge competition for that last spot on the blue line. Mueller did enough towards the end of last season to earn some time in the playoffs (he played three games, but did not impress).
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Mueller also has to prove he can stay healthy, after he missed two and a half months with a broken clavicle. Once he returned, he was fine. However, the Devils really need a player that can play in the top four.
That’s the problem. Mueller already proved that he can play on the Devils bottom line. The Devils don’t need that. What the Devils need is someone who can push Greene off that top line. As currently constructed, the Devils basically have three third-line defensemen. Even if Severson can bounce back and Butcher proves himself on the second line, there’s still one guy missing. Mueller can be that guy, but he needs to finally hit his potential.
Mueller has the size. He has the skill. He just needs this team to teach him how to put it all together. There’s a reason this player was taken in the first round. The Devils need to find that potential if Mueller is going to be the man to solidify his place in the starting lineup.