Drouin prepared to play center for Canadiens: report

Jonathan Drouin said he expects to play center for the Montreal Canadiens this season.
"It looks that way for sure," Drouin told the Montreal Gazette for a story published Monday. "I don't make those decisions, but that's where I played last year and I feel comfortable coming in this year and knowing that I'm playing center."

Drouin, 23, played on the wing during his first three seasons in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was traded by Tampa Bay to Montreal on June 15, 2017, and had 46 points (13 goals, 33 assists) in his first season with the Canadiens.
"The last 25, 30 games, I was having fun playing center," Drouin said at Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang's charity 3-on-3 weekend hockey tournament in Montreal. "I was enjoying it. I was winning more face-offs and that's important because if you win the face-off, you have the puck and it's easier to play."
Drouin won 202 of 506 face-offs (39.9 percent) his first 38 games and 245 of 545 (45.0 percent) his final 39 games.

The Canadiens traded forward Alex Galchenyuk to the Arizona Coyotes for forward Max Domi on June 15. Galchenyuk went back and forth between center and wing in six seasons with the Canadiens, but his departure and the lack of an addition at center this offseason -- aside from selecting 18-year-old Jesperi Kotkaniemi with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft -- seem to have assured Drouin will be back in the middle in the top six.
Drouin said his experience at center in 2017-18 led him to rethink his offseason training regimen.
"Last year I came into camp a little bit heavy and I was adjusting to the center position," Drouin told the newspaper. "I really didn't know how to prepare for it. Now, it's easier for me, having played the position last year. I know what I have to do.
"It's a combination of strength and quickness. Sometimes you have a big guy and you have to play a heavy game. I definitely have to play with more speed than I did last year. You have to have a balance so you can play that heavy game, but you also need speed."