Quotes of the day: Toffoli, Drouin & Julien

BROSSARD - The Canadiens practiced at the Bell Sports Complex on Tuesday.

Following the on-ice session, forwards Tyler Toffoli and Jonathan Drouin spoke with reporters via Zoom, along with head coach Claude Julien.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
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After recently being moved from playing with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Joel Armia to skating alongside Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher, Toffoli revealed that he doesn't make on-ice adjustments based on his linemates:
I try and play my game every night and play the same way. I think that kind of makes myself more versatile and easy to play with. I feel like that's always kind of been my motto on the teams that I've been on. The guys enjoy playing with me because they know what they're going to be getting.

With respect to the break the Canadiens are currently enjoying, Toffoli says this isn't your typical bye week because players are still practicing and paying close attention to the standings:
I think normally it's one of those things where you get away from the rink and you kind of shut your brain off and don't really think about hockey, but it's not really traditional. Being at the rink and watching hockey and everything, it's so much more stressful because you see what's going on a little more often with the games, last night especially. Everything's so tight right now and you definitely have to stay focused and be ready to play. When we come back, we have to be ready.

Drouin, meanwhile, talked about the message that was sent to the group when Tomas Tatar was a healthy scratch on Saturday and Paul Byron was placed on waivers on Sunday before being assigned to the taxi squad:
It's tough to see one of our alternate captains placed on waivers. I know it wasn't an easy decision to make. We have to continue looking forward. We didn't see any difference today with Paul. He came to work. It was business as usual for him. Tomas was one of our best point-getters over the last two seasons. I think he would've liked to have a better start, but he has a good attitude. He's ready to get back in the lineup. There was no change in both of their attitudes. They're the same players they were before. They came to the rink with a smile and a good work ethic.

Drouin also shared his thoughts on being able to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected so many people across the globe:
The world is very different. Unfortunately, a lot of people have lost their jobs over the last year. It's tough to see that on TV. We're lucky to be able to keep on going. It's still work for us, but we're also having fun. We're lucky to be with the guys. We have an opportunity to keep on playing in the NHL, even if things are different this season. Everybody in the locker room knows we're lucky. We have a special opportunity to do what we love. We don't take it for granted. We know that the fans are watching the games on TV and they'll eventually return to the Bell Centre. We feel really lucky.

For his part, Julien was asked about Drouin's play through 15 games:
Jonathan has a good attitude this year. He's in a good state of mind. I spoke to him before the last game and told him that he shouldn't only look for the pass. He's capable of scoring goals and going to the net. That's what he did against Toronto. He was a lot more involved. He went to the net and took good shots. I think that Jonathan wants to do well. It's just a matter of time. If he continues doing the little things, the goals will definitely come. We know that he's a good playmaker, but I think he's also capable of scoring. I found that he adjusted well last game, and it's just a matter of time.

Julien also talked about the club's decision to place Byron on waivers:
We still like Paul. He's a very good player and he's a part of our team. As a coach, I'm very happy that he's still here. We have a lot of depth this season, which is an advantage. On the other hand, we don't have any injuries, which is sometimes a disadvantage for some players. Sometimes, we have to make tough choices. But, we all know what Paul Byron can bring to the team. We know what type of player he is. We still like him and we're happy that he's still with us.