On Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens traded veteran centre Torrey Mitchell to the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional fifth-round draft pick. It’s an honest return for a forward who served the Canadiens very well on the fourth line, but it was evident this season that he had run his course with the team.
Mitchell was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the 2014-15 trade deadline by General Manager Marc Bergevin for a seventh-round draft pick in the 2016 entry draft and prospect Jack Nevins. It was a cheap price to pay for a player who filled a big need for the team, as the Habs struggled finding a player who could provide consistency to the fourth line.