After sitting out all of last season with a concussion sustained during the first pre-season game of the season, The Denver Post is reporting that Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Mueller appears to be healthy, fit and ready to play.
“I’m excited to be a hockey player again,” Mueller said Wednesday. “Obviously, I’ve had concussions in the past and it’s something I have to deal with, but right now everything is in the right direction. Everything is pointing forward. I’m excited that it’s all behind me.”
The 23-year-old has been skating regularly and will partake in team physicals in mid-September for on-ice clearance. As long as all goes well, Mueller should be back in the lineup for the Avs when they open their season on Saturday, Oct. 8 at home against the Detroit Red Wings.
Mueller will also take extra precautions against sustaining another concussion this season. He will sport the new Easton S19 Z-Shock, a one-piece hockey helmet that Easton claims exceeds minimum safety regulations by as much as 40 percent. Mueller will also sport a tinted visor to help minimize the effects that bright lights can have on concussion victims.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m in ‘Top Gun’ out there with the tinted visor, but it’s been great and a very comfortable helmet to wear,” Mueller said of the new Easton helmet.
While news of Mueller’s imminent return should pay dividends for the young and highly talented Colorado Avalanche squad, it will also come as good news for Fantasy Hockey players looking for a quality sleeper this year.
Mueller never really seemed to live up to his full potential with the Phoenix Coyotes, who drafted him 8th overall in 2006, but he showed that potential after getting traded to the Avalanche in 2010 where he promptly posted 20 points, including nine goals, in 15 games before being sidelined with the first of two concussions that kept him off the ice for the better part of a year.
Several players around the NHL are still sidelined by concussion symptoms – most notable David Perron of the St. Louis Blues and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
[…] games. Jones will likely see time in the top-six and should improve upon last season’s totals. A healthy and concussion-free Peter Mueller could also pay huge dividends offensively for Colorado. Mueller posted point-per-game numbers with […]