Last Friday, the Los Angeles Kings and Montreal Canadiens made a deal that sends Phillip Danault back to Montreal in exchange for a second-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL draft.
Although it has been almost a week since the trade was made, rumours continue to swirl surrounding the messy breakup between Danault and the Kings.
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According to ‘The Fourth Periods’ David Pagnotta, the Carolina Hurricanes were interested in acquiring the 32-year-old veteran center but talks fell through as the Kings were reportedly not interested in a certain asset that Carolina was offering. So instead, Ken Holland and the LA front office decided to go with the Canadiens offer.
The Carolina Hurricanes were reportedly offering the Kings a package surrounding Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Los Angeles was seemingly not interested in bringing the 25-year-old forward. The Kings were reportedly uninterested in taking on the infamous Kotkanienmi contract.
The former third overall pick is currently on the fourth year of a massive eight year contract that pays him $4,820,000 annually. He is currently underperforming as the Canes third line center. In 20 games this season, Kotkaniemi has registered two goals and four assists for six points.
Despite seemingly having loads of potential and being drafted high, the Finnish native has only registered one 40+ point season which came back in the 2022-23 when he recorded 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points in 82 games during his second season with Carolina.
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Much like Kotkaniemi, Danault has also been struggling as he remains goalless with just five assists in 31 games played this season. Although he isn’t relied on to fill the stat sheet every night, Danault was still a consistent 40+ point guy for the Kings, so its not shock that a Stanley Cup contending team like the Hurricanes had interest in trading for him.
‘I Had No Purpose’: Danault Speaks For The First Time Since Trade From The Kings
A swap involving the two struggling, and possibly disgruntled centers seems reasonable, as the two could greatly benefit from a change of scenery but in the end the Kings were reportedly uninterested in paying the remaining four years of Kotkaniemi’s contract. So instead, they chose to send Danault back to Montreal where he originally made a name for himself. While Carolina keeps Kotkaniemi and potentially learn how teams value him across the league.
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