Julien on Galchenyuk: 'You never give up on your players'

From the poorhouse to the penthouse.

When the Montreal Canadiens face off against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, they'll do with some new line combinations at the ready.

Among the changes made by coach Claude Julien, forward Alex Galchenyuk will climb to the team's top line alongside Andrew Shaw and Jonathan Drouin.

It should mean a busier night for Galchenyuk, who was limited to a season-low 9:18 of ice time in Thursday's overtime loss to the Calgary Flames.

It marked the second-straight night in which Galchenyuk was held off the scoresheet. Saturday's boost up the lineup is surely a move to get more offense from Galchenyuk, who just three games ago picked up four assists in the Canadiens' 10-1 romp over the Detroit Red Wings.

"We know he's a good player. We know he's got skill ... You never give up on your players," Julien told reporters Friday, courtesy of TSN. "We know that Alex is a young player still. You look at his age and because he played as an underager, if you want to put it that way, we think we expect more, but I think there is still some untapped potential there."

Galchenyuk's status with the Canadiens has seemingly been up in the air since the offseason, when a report indicated he was on the Canadiens' trade block following the acquisition of Drouin.

Adding more fuel to the fire, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin stated earlier this season that Galchenyuk, a natural center, will spend his time on the wing until he can grasp the responsibilities of playing up the middle of the ice.

The Canadiens drafted Galchenyuk with the third overall pick in 2012.

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