Top 100 Oilers: No. 74 — Raffi Torres

Notable

Originally selected 5th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2000 NHL entry draft, Torres never really established himself as a full-time NHLer with the team that drafted him, only appearing in 31 NHL games during his first two full seasons.

At the 2003 trade deadline, Torres was packaged with winger Brad Isbister in exchange for defenseman Janne Niinimaa and a second-round pick. The trade sparked the Toronto, Ontario native, as Torres didn’t just crack the Oilers lineup the next season, he hit the 20-goal mark.

His best season as an Oiler came in 2005-06 when he posted 27 goals in the regular season, second to only Ryan Smyth. He would add another four during the team’s improbable run to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final.

If you were to ask most fans what they remember most about him, it wouldn’t be the goal scoring. It would be the intensity that Torres brought to nearly every game.

One of the biggest plays Torres made during that run was a massive open-ice hit on San Jose Sharks forward Milan Michalek during their second-round series in 2006. That hit changed the momentum of the series, and while by today’s standards it would have likely resulted in a lengthy suspension, in 2006, it was the kind of play that could change a series.

That wasn’t his only big moment during that playoff run. With their backs against the wall in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, Torres scored a massive goal in the first period that gave the Oilers a 2-0 lead. The goal and the eruption from Rexall Place are something that will always stick with me.

The Story

The Oilers traded Torres away on July 1, 2008, sending him to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for forward Gilbert Brule.

A massive part of Torres’ story is his long rap sheet with the league’s department of player safety. He never had a lot of issues when he was an Oiler, but as the NHL changed, Torres failed to adapt his style.

His first suspension came on April 5, 2011, when he was a member of the Vancouver Canucks. Torres hit Edmonton forward Jordan Eberle, and the hit landed him a four-game suspension. He did rack up a handful of other smaller fines and suspensions before the league really took a hard stance against hits to the head.

Just over one year later, as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes, Torres laid a nasty hit on Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa. That hit landed him a 25-game suspension, which was tied for the second-longest suspension for an on-ice incident in the league’s history. That suspension ended his playoffs.

On October 3, 2015, during a preseason game, Torres, who was then a member of the San Jose Sharks, laid a hit on Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg, resulting in the NHL laying down a record-setting 41-game suspension. That play essentially ended Torres’ career as he would never play another game in the NHL. He attempted a comeback in the 2015-16 season with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL but ultimately retired.

At his best, Torres was a uniquely effective player who could impact the game with both his goal-scoring ability and physical presence. At the end, he was an example of a player who couldn’t adapt to a new version of the NHL.

What Brownlee said

I met Raffi Torres for the first time at the 2000 NHL Entry Draft in Calgary. Like many of the young men who filed into the room to meet reporters that day, the likes of Rick DiPietro, Dany Heatley and Scott Hartnell, Torres was nervous, dutifully answering the same old questions as best he could.

Unlike those other young men, Torres, who would be taken fifth overall by the New York Islanders the next day, had the most intense and intimidating stare I’ve ever seen. Disconcerting, it was. I had no idea then I was meeting a future member of the Edmonton Oilers and a player who has gone on to fund the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund to the tune of almost $700,000 (so far) with his on-ice acts of mayhem.

The Last 10

• No. 84 — Jarret Stoll
• No. 83 — Bernie Nicholls
• No. 82 — Georges Laraque
• No. 81 — Rem Murray
• No. 80 — Steve Staios
• No. 79 — Mike Smith
• No. 78 — Jimmy Carson
• No. 77 — Zack Kassian
• No. 76 — Eric Brewer
• No. 75 — Risto Siltanen