Is Vancouver Canucks Winger Raffi Torres the New Alexandre Burrows?

Is Raffi Torres the new Alexandre Burrows?

They took very different paths to the Canucks, but there are quite a few similarities between the two players at this point in time.

Burrows was undrafted out of junior, and aside from playing ball hockey in the summer, he toiled in the ECHL and AHL before making the Canucks during the 2005-2006 season.

In 2008-2009, he and linemate Ryan Kesler were broken up and inserted into the top two lines of the slumping Canucks, and Burrows exploded for 28 goals playing with Henrik and Daniel Sedin on the top line (Kesler went on to center the second line and be nominated for the Selke Trophy). In 2009-2010, Burrows proved it wasn't a fluke and improved to 35 goals.

Torres was drafted fifth overall by the New York Islanders in 2000, and was traded to Edmonton during the 2002-2003 season. His best season came in 2005-2006, when he scored 27 goals and 14 assists for the Oilers, and contributed to their run to the Stanley Cup finals before being felled by the Carolina Hurricanes.

More recently however, Torres has been inconsistent to say the least. In 2009-2010, he scored 19 goals for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but had zero goals with the Buffalo Sabres after being traded, and was even a healthy scratch in the playoffs.

On July 1, Torres was a free agent, and he went over a month before signing a bargain-priced ($1,000,000) one-year contract with Canucks GM Mike Gillis in an attempt to resurrect his career.

When speaking to Vancouver media after being signed, Torres admitted that he hadn't taken his career as seriously as he should have, and vowed to be better after the twin wake-up calls of becoming a new father and then being unwanted by 29 NHL teams as a free agent.

Last night in Edmonton, Torres scored his first career hat trick, putting his point total for the season at a respectable seven points (six goals, one assist) in 11 games, including a pair of game-winning goals.

Like Burrows, Torres has been scoring his goals through hard work by going into traffic and taking advantage of opportunities around the net (Okay, the weak backhand through traffic against Nikolai Khabibulin to seal the hat trick was lucky, but that happens sometimes when you have a hot night).

It is great that Torres is scoring goals, but that isn't the primary reason Canucks GM Mike Gillis signed him as a UFA. His primary role is to be a physical third-liner, someone who makes life hell for the opposing team. Which is exactly how Burrows broke into the NHL, as an energetic third-liner.

With 19 hits (third amongst Canucks forwards) and 23 PIM (first amongst Canucks forwards) in 11 games, Torres is filling that role admirably.

Also like Burrows, Torres is producing on ice far in excess of his pay. Can you name any wingers aside from Burrows who had 35 goals last season and made only $2,000,000? Or a winger who isn't named Raffi Torres that has scored six goals this season and is only making $1,000,000? (Rookies excluded)

The question now for Torres is can he keep it up? Not necessarily to score a goal every other game, but to throw 100 percent into every shift.

As Torres himself notes in an interview with the Vancouver Province: 

“That's my problem. When I'm on that high I just think I can go out and it will happen out there. You kind of forget you have to go out and to the work to make it happen. I'll soak it up and enjoy it tonight, but tomorrow I'll start worrying about Colorado.” The Canucks play the Colorado Avalanche on November 4.

Hopefully for Canucks fans, Torres will stay grounded and continue his excellent play on the third line over the course of the season and into the playoffs. On a side note, Torres has already outscored the winger he replaced on the third line, Pavol Demitra, who had only three goals in an injury shortened 28 games last season.