BROSSARD, Que.— Torrey Mitchell’s influence on the Montreal Canadiens‘ success is nondescript, but it’s considerable.
No one would equate his absence from the lineup to Carey Price’s or Brendan Gallagher’s.
But Mitchell’s return, after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury, is going to make a big difference for the Canadiens.
It’s not just about the five goals and five assists Mitchell managed in his first 20 games of the season, putting him on pace for the best offensive output he’s had since scoring 10 goals and 10 assists in his rookie year. A big part of it is the stability he brings as a 10-year veteran.
“He brings some grit to the team, too,” said P.K. Subban on Monday. “And he’s a great guy in the room. He’s fun to play with and he’s fun to be around. He helps keep everyone loose.”
Those intangibles aren’t easily replaced.
But make no mistake about it; the kids have done alright in Mitchell’s absence.
From Sven Andrighetto (four goals in 10 games) to Christian Thomas (two assists in five games) to Daniel Carr (one goal, one assist in four games) to Charles Hudon (two assists in two games), the offensive contributions of Montreal’s NHL-ready prospects have helped keep the team afloat while injuries have ravaged their regular forward crop.
But the kids—lest we forget—are just kids. They aren’t being trusted with the game on the line late in the third period; they aren’t being subjected to tougher matchups; and they aren’t being expected to carry the load. The four of them have a combined average ice-time of 9:50 per game.
“They pitch in offensively and they’ve been playing really well, but you don’t know what you have two or five games into somebody’s career,” said Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty. “You know what Mitchell has and that’s playing tough minutes, taking a lot of defensive zone faceoffs, and taking shifts against star players. Even if it’s a handful of shifts, it’s a handful of shifts I don’t have to play against those guys.”
Mitchell has played more than 11 minutes in 15 of his 20 games this season, which is rare for a fourth line centre. In doing so, he’s allowed Canadiens coach Michel Therrien to deploy his lines without discretion or concern over matchups.
“In a perfect world, I don’t want us to be the team that has to adjust to the other team; I want them to adjust to us,” said Therrien Monday. The Canadiens were living in that world up until injuries to Gallagher, Mitchell and Devante Smith-Pelly changed the dynamic up front so drastically.
With their forwards all healthy, the Canadiens were able to set the pace at the beginning of their games and maintain it until the final whistle. Their 36 goals in the third period this season (2nd-most in the NHL) is a testament to the fact.
Rolling four lines is how they won nine consecutive games to start the season, scoring at least three goals in each contest. They scored at least three goals in 16 of their first 20 games, and then down went Mitchell.
Since then, the Canadiens have gone 6-4-1, scoring three or more goals in four of those games. They snapped a season-high four-game losing streak with a 3-1 over the Ottawa Senators this past Saturday.
“We were doing the right things but not getting the two points,” said Mitchell. “You want to be out there helping your teammates.”
Provided Mitchell doesn’t suffer any setbacks, that’s exactly where he’ll be on Tuesday night—centring Andrighetto and Carr against his former team—the San Jose Sharks.
“It’s a luxury to have him back,” said Pacioretty.
