Updates from practice - February 15

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

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News and notes
Before practice began, forward Jonathan Drouin (wrist) and defenseman Joel Edmundson (lower-back) were rehabbing their respective injuries with members of the training staff.
Drouin hasn't played since January 20 against Vegas, while Edmundson has yet to make his season debut.

Forward Mathieu Perreault (lower-body) was back at practice, but he was wearing a no-contact jersey.
Perreault hasn't played since December 14 against Pittsburgh.

Despite being on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, defenseman Ben Chiarot participated in the workout and wore a regular jersey.
On the goaltending front, it was Andrew Hammond's first practice since being acquired over the weekend from the Minnesota Wild.

The Canadiens also confirmed that Carey Price won't skate this week. Price will continue to train in the gym as part of his rehab program.
Suzuki on Toffoli: 'It's tough to lose a good friend'
During their respective media availabilities, both Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield commented on the departure of Tyler Toffoli, who was traded to the Calgary Flames on Monday.
Suzuki was clearly disappointed to see Toffoli leave given the success they enjoyed together as linemates.
"It's tough to lose a good friend, a good teammate. I know the guys will miss him a lot, but he's got a good opportunity to go try and win again," said Suzuki. "It's part of the business. Once you turn pro, and even in Junior, trades are a big part of life as a hockey player and you never know what's going to happen."

Suzuki added that he soaked up plenty of knowledge from Toffoli over the last one-and-a-half seasons, valuable lessons that will serve him well in the future.
"Just his attitude that he brought every day. He was a guy that loved coming to the rink, loved being part of the team. He always tried to organize dinners and stuff like that on the road to bring us closer as a group. He was a great leader for all of us," praised Suzuki. "On the hockey side, I just learned a lot from his compete, just learning what it takes to be a good goal scorer. He's done it every single year in the NHL, and I'm sure he's going to continue to do that."
Caufield, meanwhile, explained that Toffoli actually FaceTimed him to share the difficult news.
It was tough to digest, of course, but the youngster is hopeful that his buddy will succeed in his new hockey home.
"I'm really excited for him. He's a guy that deserves to go and try and win another Cup. He's a guy that I look up to a lot," said Caufield. "I've never heard anything bad about him, so that just says a lot about his character."

When interim head coach Martin St. Louis stepped up to the mic, he even noted that "Toffoli was the captain without wearing the C" in the absence of Shea Weber, which indicates just how much he meant to the team.
"The Hamburglar" speaks
It remains to be seen if Hammond will make his Habs debut when the St. Louis Blues visit the Bell Centre on Thursday.
If the 34-year-old gets the nod, it would mark his first regular-season outing since March 28, 2018 when he was still a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
"I'm here to help in any way I can. Obviously, they've got a lot of young players here, some young goaltenders around the organization. I've seen some things. I've been through being in kind of a rebuilding situation, and that's experience I can lean on," explained Hammond. "Anything I can do to help anyone here, I'll certainly try and do my best."

Since his unforgettable run with Ottawa in 2014-15, things haven't exactly gone as planned for Hammond.
The Surrey, BC native has spent most of his time in the AHL, including this season, posting a 6-2-3 record with the Iowa Wild.
That's why he's grateful general manager Kent Hughes secured his services.
"It's given me a lot of perspective. It makes you value every day that you're in this League a little bit more," said Hammond. "Back then, I never would've thought it would've taken this long to kind of get back and kind of get an opportunity to play, but it makes you appreciate it a little bit more, and especially coming to a great organization like this, and the history, it just makes you feel very privileged and fortunate to be in this situation now."

St. Louis: 'It's important for everybody to check out a little bit'
Since taking the reins behind the bench on February 9, St. Louis hasn't enjoyed much downtime.
The Hall of Famer took advantage of Monday's day off, though, to settle into his new digs and watch some college hockey with his father, Normand.
"I got to relax and watch the Beanpot final between Northeastern and Boston University. Unfortunately, Northeastern lost," mentioned St. Louis, whose eldest son, Ryan, is a freshman with the Huskies. "That was fun and enjoyable. It's important for everybody to check out a little bit, so to speak, just to re-energize for the next day. I felt like I took some time to do that last night."

As far as his coaching duties are concerned, St. Louis says things are trending in the right direction.
He's growing increasingly comfortable with every passing day.
"I've learned how to prepare myself and how to prepare for the different scenarios that happen in a game, just to be prepared for the unexpected," shared St. Louis. "I can say that the game has already slowed down for me on the bench, which is very encouraging, and I think it's going to keep slowing down. At first, it looked very fast, so I'm encouraged."