At the end of the contract with the Devils in the NHL, Mirco Müller is working his brakes in Vancouver alongside his Canadian partner.
Interruption of competitions due to the coronavirus pandemic does not really do its business.
Since the New Jersey franchise has no chance of taking part in hypothetical play-offs, Mirco Müller would probably have responded favorably to a summons from national team coach Patrick Fischer for the world championship. By risking an injury likely to deprive him of a new contract.
“We can make an exception for a world championship disputed at home,” said the solid Zurich defender, joined by telephone by Keystone-ATS, while the World Cup in Zurich and Lausanne should have started this Friday. “Even if I certainly should have thought about it at length,” he said.
“A new dynamic”
Mirco Müller could probably have quickly joined the national team during his preparation phase. The Devils were 14th in the Eastern Conference when the NHL broke off on March 12, 13 points from 8th and final play-off qualifying spot.
The Newark franchise paid dearly for a catastrophic start to the fiscal year (six losses in its first six games). “We had a lot of new players (red: PK Subban, Wayne Simmonds or No. 1 in the Jack Hughes draft). It was promising on paper. But other factors come into play, such as chemistry” , underlines Mirco Müller.
Young and inexperienced, the Devils quickly lost confidence. The departure of head coach John Hynes, replaced at the start of December by his assistant Alain Nasreddine, changed the game somewhat for a team that has won 10 of its last 17 matches. “It brought us a new dynamic. But suddenly everything stopped,” says Mirco Müller.
Supernumerary 19 times
The Winterthur native himself has experienced ups and downs this season. Despite performances which he considers “rather constant”, he found himself supernumerary 19 times. The departure of captain Andy Greene, transferred to the New York Islanders in mid-February, however, allowed him to bounce back.
Mirco Müller thus found himself aligned very regularly alongside the star P.K. Subban. With a key game time greater than 21’30 ” in 8 of the last 12 games. “It’s never funny to be supernumerary. But with experience, you know that there is no point in getting upset. You have to know how to stay professional, and be aware that your luck will inevitably come back,” he.
The Zurich player appreciates playing in the same duo as the very offensive PK Subban: “Playing alongside him suits me. And outside the ice, he attracts attention. There is always something going on with him”, he says about a player whose popularity rating has increased even more since he was in a relationship with the former alpine ski star Lindsey Vonn.
Does he think the season will resume in NHL? “Many aspects play a role. Play-offs bring in a lot of money. But it would take us two or three weeks to be able to play, because we are not in optimal shape,” explains Mirco Müller, who hopes well get a new contract with the Devils. “But there is nothing new about it,” he slips.
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