A Swede option up the middle

BROSSARD - He may not have made up his mind, but Claude Julien opened up a new line combination option for himself at practice at the Bell Sports Complex on Tuesday.

The Habs bench boss inserted 22-year-old center Jacob de la Rose onto a trio between Alex Galchenyuk and Jonathan Drouin, although he hasn't decided if he'll employ the new configuration the following night in Boston.
"De la Rose is a guy who grew up as an offensive player. When he turned pro at a young age back home, they made him a defensive player. We're hoping he can rediscover that a little bit," explained Julien, who will be coaching his first game at TD Garden since taking the reins for the Canadiens last February. "At the same time, we don't have the last change on this road trip. I'm trying to look at different options. It doesn't mean that tomorrow, for sure, that's going to be the line, but today was a good opportunity in practice to see how those three could work together. That was the idea behind what you saw today."
Despite the change, Julien made it perfectly clear he still believes Drouin has been benefiting from his experience in the middle, and will continue to do so. If he is to make the switch, it's not because the coach feels the Sainte-Agathe native needs a break from the position.
"I don't think he's mentally drained at all. Even yesterday, I remember him coming off the ice in the third period. They spent a good portion of that shift in the defensive zone, but did an unbelievable job. Defensively, they got nothing. They were there, but they closed quickly. Jonathan reacted quickly, like a centerman should," he praised. "Those are all encouraging things for me. But the more guys you can have playing that position, the better you are as a team. That's one of the toughest positions up front, playing center. I say that all the time: there are so many responsibilities, that players can only gain from getting that opportunity."

For his part, de la Rose, who was scratched for 10 games before returning on January 4 against Vancouver, has been enjoying a renaissance of late. He attributed his improved play to the motivation he got from sitting out, and from wanting to demonstrate he should be on the ice and not in the press box moving forward.
"After sitting out as many games as I did there, I had a lot of hunger coming back, and I wanted to prove that I'm good enough to be in every night," said de la Rose, who has registered eight shots on net and an even differential in the four games he's played since his return. "I'm trying to play with that passion and hunger every game now. Not to put more pressure on myself, but to take advantage of every shift I get to prove I should be in every night."

His potential future linemates believe he can help them generate some chances, while also getting the job done defensively.
"When you have a guy like that, a big, two-way center who takes his defensive role pretty seriously, it gives us some opportunities," Drouin said of the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Swede, who skated for 11:39 on Monday against the Islanders and won four of the five faceoffs he took against them. "He's going to create some things for us; turnovers, he'll make a nice defensive play for us and we'll get the rush going. I don't see how it can't help us to have a guy like that."

Although de la Rose hasn't gotten on the board in the New Year, Galchenyuk still recognizes and appreciates the effort he's seen from the young pivot.
"He's creating a lot of chances for himself," he said. "I know he's frustrated with the puck not going in, but he sticks with it, he skates well offensively and defensively. Hopefully, we'll make it work."
With a crucial matchup against the Bruins coming up on Wednesday night, the Habs will have their work cut out for them regardless of the line combinations Julien sends out on the ice.
"It's the coach's job to find a way to put the lineup together , and it's our job as players to respond. We want to have a big game tomorrow, there's no surprise how big that game is," concluded Galchenyuk. "We all want to make a difference out there."