He was missed in many ways, one ice he's one tough hombre and that does help all the players in front of him. The PK is better, the D pairings balance out better. In the locker room, he's a very vocal guy and usually dead on in his comments and he doesn't mince his words, he calls a spade a spade. He has a great sense of humor and that is one of the ways, a good dose of brevity, adds to the teams composure.
They really missed him in all areas and with every game he's getting his timing and game legs back . Usually (by other players who've gone thr it) it takes a couple weeks to get back where you're playing at the level you want. So him getting these games in before the playoffs is huge.