Newcomers still getting used to Habs’ speedy style
When he woke up on March 2, Torrey Mitchell was trapped in a race to the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
A few hours later, he found out he’d been traded from the sad- sack Buffalo Sabres to the Montreal Canadiens.
Such is the fate- changing nature of trade deadline day.
One minute, you’re a journeyman on a team that long ago abandoned any pretence of a playoff run. The next, you’re booking a flight to join a team that might compete for the Stanley Cup.
“That’s not where you want to be at 30,” Mitchell said, when asked about possibly missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year. “I just wanted to be a part of a team that will compete.”
Further adding to Mitchell’s surreal week, he’ll get a homecoming Tuesday when the Canadiens square off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Montreal. Mitchell grew up on Montreal’s South Shore, he was immersed in the cult- like worship of the Canadiens. In this sense, the significance of the moment isn’t lost on him.
“Just putting the jersey on was overwhelming almost,” he said about lacing up for the first time against the Anaheim Ducks last week. “I’ve always known, this city pretty much lives and dies by this team. ... It’s so exciting for me because obviously everyone in here represents the community and the ( Canadiens) family, but growing up here I feel like I’m carrying more of a load, if you will, trying to represent Montreal.”
Until he finds his own place to live, Mitchell is crashing at his brother’s house. He’ll have the added pressure of playing in front of friends and family Tuesday in a game that some consider the Canadiens’ most significant challenge ahead of the post- season.
The Lightning have scored more goals than any team in the NHL. Tampa Bay’s also won both games against Montreal since the Canadiens swept them from the playoffs last year. The team stomped Montreal 7- 1 in October and, looking forward, any road to the Stanley Cup finals would probably pass through Tampa Bay.
Making matters worse, the Canadiens looked lost during their West Coast road trip last week, winning just one of four games ( against the lowly Arizona Coyotes).
Coach Michel Therrien said the team’s travel schedule hasn’t helped matters. The Habs have practised only three times in two weeks.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s hockey, basketball, golf — you need to practise to get better,” he said. “We all understand we’re facing a huge challenge tomorrow. We’re going to have to take away their time and space.”
With little time to practise lately, Therrien has experimented with lineup changes on the fly, struggling to find a spot for the four players who’ve joined his team in the past two weeks.
“Those guys gotta be like sponges,” Therrien said of the team’s new players. “We’re showing them a lot of new things and it takes time. … We believe in our team structure, it always takes time before it becomes second nature for the players.”
Devante Smith- Pelly — who looked sluggish in his first few games with the Canadiens — appears to be settling into a role on the team’s third line. Playing alongside Lars Eller and Jacob De La Rose, Smith- Pelly picked up an assist on Montreal’s winning goal Saturday in Arizona.
He brought a bruising presence against Los Angeles the previous game, leading both teams with eight hits. After speculation that the barrel- chested forward might be a touch out of shape, Smith-Pelly said Monday that he’s still getting used to the Canadiens’ speedy style of play.
Eastern Conference teams, he said, seem to skate more than they do out West — where he’s played his entire NHL career.
Meanwhile, Jeff Petry — the Canadiens’ most prized trade deadline acquisition — was still skating alongside Tom Gilbert Monday at practice. Petry played with Gilbert in Edmonton and he’s brought much- needed stability to the Canadiens’ blue line.
In the scheme of things, Mitchell may seem like one of the least important additions to the Canadiens roster this season.
He’s a depth forward, a crafty player whose mix of experience and intensity could come in handy during a tight playoff series. There are dozens of players just like him across the league.
Mitchell no doubt understands this and it’s perhaps in grasping the uniqueness of the opportunity that he can accomplish something special with his time in Montreal. The playoffs are chock full of stories about career fourth- liners who etch their names in history with just the right set of circumstances.
“I’d like to think I go as hard as I can no matter what team I’m on,” he said. “But with the added factor of this being my hometown, of the history of this team, I don’t think it’s going to be very hard to get motivated every time I step on the ice.”