Julien sees Drouin playing center

The Montreal Canadiens' most important offseason acquisition will fill one of its most pressing positions this season.

Jonathan Drouin, the Quebec native who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning for 2016 first-round pick Mikhail Sergachev, will get a shot at center when he suits up for his hometown club.

While Drouin spent little time up the middle with the Lightning, he's familiar with the position from his junior days with the Halifax Mooseheads. Canadiens head coach Claude Julien hopes to tap into that experience.

"He's played there before, I don't care when it was. It wasn't that long ago," Julien said Monday, according to TSN. "He's got the attributes to be a good centerman. He likes the space, he likes to use all of the ice, and that gives him an opportunity to express himself offensively as we'd all like to see him do."

There has been much summer discussion about who will center the Canadiens' top line in 2017-18 - Drouin or fellow young forward Alex Galchenyuk, who split last season between center and wing.

Julien's comments echo Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin, who also envisions Galchenyuk playing on the wall.

"For his own good, and for our own team's good, we see him more as a winger, and there's nothing wrong with that," Julien said.

The Canadiens coach will soon have the chance to put his line combinations into action, as the team's training camp opens Friday and its first preseason game comes three days later against the Boston Bruins.

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