There was a time when Phillip Danault was the Montreal Canadiens’ top centre. Then, when it became clear to him there was less of a future for him in the team’s top six, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings (which was undeniably his right).
Now, Danault is back again. The Canadiens reacquired the soon-to-be 33-year-old centre, sending a 2026 second-round pick the other way to add depth down the middle and presumably help get ready for another playoff run, as they find themselves just one point out of first place in the Atlantic Division.
Danault Falls Out of Favour with Kings
The irony shouldn’t be lost on anyone. The hope to a degree must be that Danault, who played a significant role in the Canadiens’ 2021 run to the Stanley Cup Final (and loss), helps them get back there (and win), despite the fact he is now significantly older and struggling himself, with just five assists through 30 games with the Kings this season.
To his credit, Danault established new career highs while with the Kings. Whereas he developed into a top-six, defensively aware threat with the Canadiens, once scoring a then-career-high 53 points with the Habs in 2018-19, he scored 54 points with the Kings in 2022-23. He also had never scored more than 13 goals with the Canadiens, while more than doubling that amount with 27 in 2021-22, his first season with his new team (51 points).
However, Danault’s production has since dropped off significantly. While he scored a respectable 43 points last season, he lit the lamp just eight times, down to zero tallies so far this season. So, it’s inherently unlikely he will rediscover the same scoring prowess he displayed earlier in his Kings tenure over the course of the remaining term of his deal, which runs out in 2027.
Canadiens Take On Entire Danault Cap Hit
It’s worth noting, the Canadiens are on the hook for Danault’s entire $5.5 million cap hit. And, while the cap space isn’t necessarily an issue, you are looking at a forward who has been less successful offensively than Josh Anderson (10 points) despite more ice time (16:19 per game vs. 14:46). Granted, Danault is a centre. With Kirby Dach out with a broken foot, albeit seemingly inching closer to a return, that must have been the focal point for general manager Kent Hughes, as they’ve had to rely on 13th forward Joe Veleno to play down the middle, while also having promoted prospect Owen Beck to pivot the third line.
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The Canadiens’ plans for Beck remain to be seen. However, the rookie hasn’t appeared out of place in the five games he’s played since having gotten recalled earlier this month (with goalie Jacob Fowler and defenseman Adam Engstrom, presumably in response to the team’s embarrassing 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 9). So, taking all factors into consideration, including the division’s current standings, the situation may not be as dire as it appears, which more so makes this move more of a pre-emptive trade deadline deal.
Les Canadiens ont rappelé Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom et Jacob Fowler du Rocket de Laval.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 10, 2025
The Canadiens have recalled Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom and Jacob Fowler from the Laval Rocket.
The second-round pick the Canadiens are sending to the Kings is the one they acquired to similarly take on Patrik Laine’s full cap hit two summers ago. Now, while second-round picks have significantly less of a chance of making the NHL than first-round ones, it’s far-from-insignificant compensation taking into consideration how Danault was first acquired by the Canadiens alongside a second-round pick (for Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise) that became defenseman Alexander Romanov.
Romanov not only developed into an NHL regular, but also factored significantly into the acquisition of Dach at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. So, picks like that do hold sway. It’s easy to nostalgically look past that fact and to Danault’s heyday with the team, but he’s obviously significantly older and less effective.
Danault Still Not a Top-Six Centre on Canadiens
Remember Danault had reportedly turned down a six-year, $30 million Canadiens offer to sign with the Kings for slightly less money (from ‘Kings sign Phillip Danault to six-year, US$33-million contract,’ Montreal Gazette, July 28, 2021), presumably because the writing was on the wall for his role with the team to diminish. That was apparent the previous offseason, when he expressed a desire to stay in a top-six role, despite the potential of fellow-centres Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
While Suzuki obviously has become the team’s No. 1 centre, Kotkaniemi ironically got offer-sheeted by the Carolina Hurricanes soon after Danault’s departure. Obviously, both he and Christian Dvorak, the centre ex-GM Marc Bergevin acquired largely with the resulting offer-sheet compensation, are no longer with the team, speaking to the team’s revolving door down the middle over the years and a general inability to find centres who fit long term.
It’s a nice thought that Danault could be the answer to what ails the Canadiens. It’s at least a nice story. However, realistically, if he wasn’t going to be a top-six forward on this team four years ago, he’s not going to be one now.
So, the Canadiens really just reinforced their bottom six. And, assuming the second-round pick doesn’t pan out, they nevertheless seemingly put another roadblock in the way of Beck, a second-round pick in his own right (2022), who seems to have all the tools to make a difference for the better on the the Habs, arguably more than Danault by the time the latter’s deal expires and his time with the franchise ends, presumably for good this time. That having been said, Danault is a veteran. And he could help serve as glue for the team.
As the youngest team in the NHL, the Canadiens weren’t realistic Stanley Cup contenders heading into this season. While a non-playoff finish would be disappointing after having successfully reached the postseason last spring, it wouldn’t be a disaster. This move still has a sense of unjustified desperation to it, that the Habs aren’t satisfied with how their season has been going, despite the respectable 18-12-4 record. So, reacquiring Danault also speaks to heightened expectations and a desire to take an additional next step forward.
That next step would logically be Stanley Cup contention. So, it shouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility that’s where Hughes has his sights set. Plus, that would make an even better story, for Danault to help the Canadiens get to the promised land where once he and they fallen short. As far as redemption angles go, it’s a good one. Everyone just has their work cut out for them, especially Danault based on the degree to which he’s fallen, period.