Canadiens' Julien can 'definitely' see Drouin playing center
The Montreal Canadiens might have their first-line center position figured out after all.
Head coach Claude Julien said he was impressed with Jonathan Drouin's play in the Canadiens' final preseason game - a 9-2 win over the Ottawa Senators - and feels he could slot in at center.
"I see a player who definitely can play center in this league," Julien told reporters, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
Drouin centered the club's top line alongside Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher on Saturday night and tallied three assists in the process. Julien was also complimentary of his play on the opposite side of the puck, and appears to have shut down any thoughts of Alex Galchenyuk moving to the center ice position.
The Canadiens haven't had a player in the middle of the ice like Drouin in three decades.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 1, 2017
The lone criticism for Drouin could be in the faceoff circle. He won just 40 percent of his faceoffs Saturday despite entering the game with a success rate of 46.7 percent in his other two preseason contests.
Still, he concluded the preseason with five points in three games, suggesting the team may have indeed found that missing link down the middle of the ice.