A statistic that says a lot about Phillip Danault

According to the DailyFaceoff website, the Canadiens have EXACTLY the same projected lineup for their first game of the 2026-27 regular season as they did during the 2026 playoffs.

Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Evans – Demidov
Texier – Danault – Anderson
Bolduc – Kapanen – Dach

Matheson – Dobson
Struble – Hutson
Guhle – Carrier

Dobes
,

Fowler
, Montembeault

Will Dach be moved up in the lineup? Will Newhook be shifted back to center? Will Kapanen get another chance in the top six? Will Guhle be paired with Hutson to strengthen the top four?

One thing is certain: this projected lineup alone demonstrates just how incomplete the Canadiens' center depth is. Having Jake Evans on the second line for 84 games is simply suicidal (and impossible).

Think about it: if Nick “Ironman”
Suzuki were to get injured and miss time, we could end up with an Evans–Danault
duo at center on the team's top two lines.

What role for Phillip Danault?

Phillip Danault played some big-time hockey in the last playoffs. Without him, the Canadiens would almost certainly have been eliminated in the first round by the Lightning, and the vibe would be very different right now.

That said, we can't count on Phillip Danault to put the puck in the net. In 2024–25, he scored eight goals in 80 games, and last season, he scored six in 75 games. He also scored two in 19 playoff games.

I know, Danault's role isn't to put the puck in the net…

But until Montreal's center line is fully staffed, we'll have to ask Phillip Danault to contribute offensively—not just defend on the fourth line. Especially when you consider that Danault is the team's fourth-highest-paid forward at $5.5 million (average annual salary).

DataDrivenHockey published an interesting statistic yesterday: over the past ten years—a sample size large enough to be considered reliable—Phillip Danault has been one of the least effective players in the entire league when it comes to shooting on goal.

He should have scored 155 expected goals, but he's only scored 127.