Quotes of the day: Kulak, Danault & Tatar

MONTREAL - With the Habs' exciting playoff run in the rearview mirror, it's now time to start looking back on the 2019-20 season. In lieu of the traditional locker clear-out day media availabilities at the Bell Sports Complex, the Canadiens made Brett Kulak, Phillip Danault, and Tomas Tatar available to answer questions via conference call on Tuesday, with more media ops slated to take place later in the week.
Here are some highlights of what they said:

Despite a regular season filled with ups and downs - including being made a healthy scratch for a total of 15 games - Kulak had a strong showing in the playoffs, averaging 18:33 of ice time and picking up three assists, a plus-2 differential, and registering 19 shots - second-most among Montreal defensemen - in the postseason. The Albertan rearguard attributes his improved play to a change between the ears:
"I felt good in the playoffs, and it was a fun time to play hockey. Every game, there was so much on the line. I think a big difference for me was just the mental approach I had going into the games in the playoffs. I was playing assertively and on my toes, and I was playing to win every shift. I wasn't thinking about too much else, whereas sometimes in the season, I'd catch myself in a little lull of being out there just trying not to make a mistake and trying to do good by my team. When you start thinking about too much like that, it interrupts that natural flow in your game and your natural abilities to come out and play. I felt like I was in a good state in the playoffs. I was just having fun and competing hard every shift I was on the ice. It felt good, and good things were happening for me."

Even with a strong showing, Kulak will have some stiff competition on the left side of the blue line, with Victor Mete continuing to progress and the arrival of Alexander Romanov. Kulak feels like the added pressure will only help the team and each player as individuals:
"I don't think it's something where I've got the edge on them automatically. They're both high-end players. That's just how the NHL is: no matter which team you go to, you're always going to have that stiff competition because there are good players out there. To make it to this level, you're obviously competitive and work hard, and you take your job seriously. There are three of us there who are for sure going to be battling for ice time. That just makes us better as a D corps and as a team, and it will also elevate our own personal games."
With the emergence of Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi up the middle, Danault was employed in a more defensive role during the postseason, but the Victoriaville native still takes pride in his ability to contribute at both ends of the ice:
"I love to produce and I want to continue improving my offensive game. I really liked my role the past few years. I know I'm able to get to another level, so I don't know if I want to limit myself to just a defensive role. I want to improve every year."

Speaking of Suzuki, Danault had nothing but praise for the rookie pivot after his breakout performance in the postseason:
"I've been saying it since I saw him for the first time last year: I find that he's a solid player. He can play at both ends of the ice. He's especially very solid offensively. He has a good attitude, he's a good kid. He's very humble. I'm not really surprised to see Suzuki perform the way he did, and with the way he helped our team."
Although the Habs have left the bubble and begun their offseason, Danault looked back on his time in Toronto with fondness and optimism for the future:
"We're seeing how the young guys are becoming solid. I think we also showed the character and leadership that we have. The fact we were able to beat Pittsburgh, to get into the first round, the fact we could've won the first round, to know that we can play with the better teams: that's what I'll take away. I missed my family, for sure, I love them a lot, but they understand my passion and they understand that I want to play in the playoffs."
With 58 and 61 points in his first two seasons in Montreal, Tatar has been playing some of the best hockey of his career since becoming a Hab, and the Slovak forward made no bones about feeling at home in La Belle Province:
"I've been very blessed and fortunate. I found a lot of friends outside of hockey here. I fell in love with the city. I think the fans are great. I found a soccer team I can cheer for here. The city, the team have been really [good] to me, and I'm having a lot of fun. Management is doing a really good job pushing this team forward right now, and I think that's what we did in the playoffs. I think the future looks promising, and I know I'd really like to be a part of it.
"It's just been a good balance. I had a fresh start after the Vegas trade. I just wanted to come here and enjoy hockey again, and I think this is the perfect environment for it. This city and these fans love and are really passionate about hockey. That's what I like: people are very dedicated to hockey here. That just motivates me to try to be better every game and every day."

He may have put up the best numbers of his career in bleu-blanc-rouge during the regular season, but Tatar only managed a pair of goals during the 2020 playoffs. But the 29-year-old pointed to his line's defensive efforts and felt he had a successful postseason run despite the lack of production:
"In the first series against Pittsburgh, we had a task in front of us: we were playing against the top line. I think we were really happy with our line, with what we did on the defensive side. Obviously, we would've liked to have been a little more productive, but that's what the playoffs are about. We advanced; we were really excited about it. And against Philly, I'm really proud of our team. We did a really good job. If the posts were a little thinner, maybe we'd be talking from Toronto and not from home. My overall impression, I was happy with what we did. Our line - Phil and Gally - we battled. I wish I would've scored some more goals, but there are a lot of things you can look at on the bright side. I'm just trying to take as many positives from there and bring it for next year."