According to Research Ground’s Marco D’Amico, former Montreal Canadiens center Philip Danault is unhappy with the Los Angeles Kings and has requested a trade. The expectation is that it might happen before the roster freeze, but L.A. is after a player-for-player deal and not assets for the future. Would it be a good idea for the Habs to bring him back?
Yes, Danault left as a free agent in the disastrous 2021 offseason when the Canadiens lost half of their center line and realized that the playoff run had taken an incredible physical toll on defenseman Shea Weber, goaltender Carey Price and forward Paul Byron, but it wasn’t because he had had enough of the market. Just like Andrei Markov and Alex Radulov back in 2016, he left over a contractual dispute with former GM Marc Bergevin.
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When he first got to Los Angeles, he had two great seasons of 51 and 54 points, before taking a downward trajectory with seasons of 47 and 43 points. This year, he’s on pace for just 14. He didn’t just forget how to play hockey and put up points; at 35, he is getting less ice time and is no longer playing alongside the likes of Kevin Fiala. Whichever way you look at it, he’s been overtaken by Quinton Byfield, and that was always going to happen.
If he’s asking for a trade because he’s not happy with his ice time and utilization, I’m not entirely convinced that it would be a good move for Kent Hughes to bring him back into the fold. Financially, it could work; he’s only under contract until the end of next season, but he wouldn’t get the kind of role he had with the Canadiens before he left.
Nick Suzuki is the team’s number one center, Oliver Kapanen is not doing bad work centring the second lines against all odds, Jake Evans isn’t doing great, and Joe Veleno isn’t very impactful with just three points in 28 games. Would a bottom-six role suit him? Would he be an upgrade over Kapanen and be able to build chemistry with Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky?
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If the Canadiens have concluded that Kirby Dach won’t be the second-line center they once hoped he would be, could they use Danault as a stopgap before the arrival of Michael Hage? Perhaps, but looking at the big picture, it would likely be more profitable to let Kapanen get more experience, as he’ll be in the league long after Danault has retired.
Furthermore, if the Kings are after a player-for-player deal, the price tag may be high. It’s doubtful that they’ll accept taking Brendan Gallagher of the Canadiens’ hands, and besides, he does have a full no-movement clause on his contract. Josh Anderson? I’m not sure there’s a need for him in LA, and thinking about the playoffs, Montreal needs Anderson’s sandpaper, at least until Florian Xhekaj is NHL-ready. Could the Kings be willing to take Dach? Given his injury history, that would be a big gamble for them, and he’s due for a new contract. Even if he’ll only be a RFA and remain under team control, it makes the situation blurry for a team willing to take him on.
I believe the best course of action for the Canadiens is to stick with Kapanen, unless, of course, the price tag on Danault is lower than what it seems to be right now. Hage is just around the corner, and while it’s hard to know how well his game will translate to the pro level, he’s improved significantly over the last couple of seasons and judging from an interview published today by D’Amico, he’s willing to do everything it takes to make it work.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
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