Montreal Canadiens forward Phillip Danault clearly wanted the puck. The slapping of his stick on the ice was such a distinct noise, there was no mistaking it.
Danault’s First Home Game Back at Bell Centre
Midway through the Canadiens’ eventual decisive 4-1 victory over the visiting Calgary Flames on Wednesday, the outcome was still up in the air. The Habs led 1-0 on an Alexandre Texier goal after finally finding a crack in goalie Dustin Wolf’s armour. Still, at that point in time, Wolf was more of a difference-maker than Texier, who to his credit went on to add two assists in a career game for the French forward (that also featured his 100th career point). Then Danault got called for hooking Flames forward William Stromgren (in the latter’s first-ever NHL game, just to be thorough).
So, despite the Flames possessing a league-worst 14.1% power play, that could have been a turning point for the worse in the game. Instead, the Canadiens successfully killed off the penalty to Danault, to whom the puck came as he exited the box. He skated up ice and maneuvered his way into scoring position in the slot before being stopped by Wolf.
While it would have been fitting for Danault to score, in what was his first home game at the Bell Centre since the team’s run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final (after which he signed with the Los Angeles Kings), what happened instead was arguably much more so in line with his current role on the Canadiens five years later.
Related: Positives Canadiens Can Take Away from Stanley Cup Loss to Lightning
Gone are the days when Danault can be considered a 20-goal threat. True, he never did attain the high-water mark while with the Canadiens during his first stint, which started with a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks in 2016. However, in his first season with the Kings, he scored a career-high 27. He followed that up with 18 and 17-goal campaigns. This season, prior to being traded back to the Habs, he had zero in 30 games, though. So, his lack of goals through seven games since returning to the franchise should hardly be a surprise. However, the three assists he’s accrued in that time are a sign he has something left in the tank and can contribute in other ways, as is his 63.4% success rate taking faceoffs this season.
Danault Feeds Hutson Again
While the long-term benefit of one’s ability to successfully take faceoffs is debated, at least anecdotally Danault has had a near-immediate impact in that regard. One of his assists came on defenseman Lane Hutson’s overtime goal against the Dallas Stars Sunday, after he won a faceoff in the offensive zone. Against the Flames, on the goal described up top, after calling for and then getting the puck from Texier, he fed a pinching Hutson for what ended up being another game-winner. So, especially taking into account the 2:33 per game he now averages shorthanded with the Habs, the penalty kill clicking at 81.8% in his seven games with the Canadiens, Danault is having a positive impact at both ends of the ice, albeit less of a projected one on offense overall.
It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that Danault has been reunited with his old linemate on the Canadiens, Brendan Gallagher. Zachary Bolduc rounds out the for-all-intents-and-purposes third line, when the former two had helped form the top line going back a half-decade ago (with Tomas Tatar).
Today though, no one would confuse either of the two as top-liners… and top-six forwards would also be seriously pushing it, which is significant in that Danault had expressed a desire to stay in Montreal initially, but under the condition his role, which was changing with the emergence of Nick Suzuki, well, wouldn’t. That he signed with the Kings for only slightly more money than the Canadiens had reportedly offered arguably points to his stance there being a sticking point (from ‘Kings sign Phillip Danault to six-year, US$33-million contract,’ Montreal Gazette, July 28, 2021).
Danault Gets Fresh Start with Habs in Reduced Role
Times and circumstances change things though, including one’s perspective based on reports Danault had requested a trade. Considering his 10-team no-trade list, per PuckPedia, it’s logical to conclude he was okay with returning to the Canadiens, probably in full acknowledgement the pecking order had changed, Suzuki long since having arrived as a legitimate No. 1 centre.
Sources indicate that Phil Danault has asked for a tradein LA. His camp hopes a deal gets done sooner than later; prior to the Trade Freeze.
— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) December 16, 2025
Kings are willing to wait it out, looking for a player-for-player trade.
MTL, NJD and CAR are some of the teams to kicked tires there.
Now, there are undeniable drawbacks to the re-acquisition. Seeing as Danault has another year under contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, it brings Owen Beck’s future as a bottom-six centre on this team into question, with the rookie having been relegated to a role on the wing on the fourth line… whenever he does get into the lineup. And the second-round pick the Canadiens gave up is a bit richer than most would have liked for a 33-year-old forward whose best years are clearly behind him. However, consider the alternative:
There are suggestions the Canadiens could have been interested in Flames forward Nazem Kadri, a 35-year-old with a $7 million cap hit with three more years under contract after this one. Sure, he may have more offensive skill than Danault. However, the hope is for prospect Michael Hage to eventually earn the second-line-centre spot and develop into a long-term solution there, instead of going back the other way, which many Flames fans seem to believe, justifiably or not, is a reasonable asking price.
Danault’s acquisition should put to bed any talk of the Habs needing more help at centre at least in the short term, especially with Kirby Dach poised to return eventually. If you compare the two price tags, i.e., what the Habs paid for Danault and what they would have had to pay for Kadri in principle, the Canadiens come out ahead… now 5-1-1 since Danault re-debuted.
Overall, Danault has become a stabilizing force down the middle. So, the Canadiens got what they needed. As for Danault, while his role isn’t what it had been on the Kings, it is something of a fresh start. Whether or not it gets him out of the first round again, after four consecutive postseasons of failure to do so with Los Angeles, remains to be seen. You have to like his chances, though. Based on how he complements the Canadiens’ young core and the immediate results, it’s fair to say he at least got what he wanted…
… Puck and all.