In a bid to take the next step in their rebuild, the Montreal Canadiens returned to an old well, reacquiring centre Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings for a 2026 second-round pick late Friday night.
Danault’s Second Tour of Duty with Canadiens
Danault had played for the Canadiens from 2016 to 2021, after having been acquired by ex-general manager Marc Bergevin in the trade-deadline deal that sent Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Habs also acquired a 2018 second-round pick in the trade that would become Alexander Romanov, reinforcing the notion the Habs had fleeced the Blackhawks, with Romanov factoring significantly in their trade, ironically for another centre, in Kirby Dach, at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
With Dach now out with an injury, albeit seemingly on the verge of a return to action, the Canadiens now need greater depth down the middle and in general, especially as they find themselves in the thick of a playoff race in the Atlantic Division, one point out of first place, heading into action Saturday night. With that, reacquiring Danault, who left the Canadiens to sign as an unrestricted free agent with the Kings after the Habs’ Stanley Cup run in 2021, made more sense, despite the higher cap hit ($5.5 million, none of which will be retained, compared to his previous $3.083 million hit). Danault had reportedly turned down a six-year, $30 million offer from the Habs in 2021 (from ‘Kings sign Phillip Danault to six-year, US$33-million contract,’ Montreal Gazette, July 28, 2021).
Related: Injured Canadiens Who’ve Been Missed the Most in 2025-26
The pick the Canadiens are giving up, which obviously runs somewhat of a risk of turning into the next Romanov, represents part of their return when they traded defenseman Jordan Harris to the Columbus Blue Jackets two summers ago for Patrik Laine, when they similarly agreed to take on the forward’s full $8.7 cap hit. Danault’s current deal runs out next season. With the Kings, he reached a new career high in goals (27, in 2021-22) and points (54 in 2022-23). He has just five assists through 30 games this season though, as he gets set to turn 33 in February.
With the Canadiens initially, Danault scored a then-career-high 53 points in 2018-19, regularly entering the conversation as a Frank J. Selke Trophy candidate for his defensive prowess. It remains to be seen if the one-time 2011 first-round pick (No. 26 overall) can rekindle some semblance of that same success during his second stint with the Habs.
