Montreal Canadiens Reacquires Veteran Forward in Trade

The Canadiens helped shore up a major positional need down the middle with a trade just before the NHL roster freeze, that was scheduled for midnight, Friday night. Montreal acquired veteran forward Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings. They gave up the second-round pick in 2026 that they acquired in the Patrik Laine deal in exchange for Danault’s services. Montreal has been trying to add depth down the middle for some time, and bringing in Danault is a big addition for the club. Let’s analyze the trade and what it means for the Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens Acquire Phillip Danault

Phillip Danault should be a familiar face amongst Habs fans. After coming over from Chicago, the Quebec native played six seasons in Montreal from 2016 to 2021. The 32-year-old’s best season with the bleu-blanc-et-rouge came back in 2018-19, when he amassed 53 points. In 741 career games, he has registered 399 points.

Danault was originally a first-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011. Despite this, he played in only 32 games over two seasons there before being sent to Montreal in exchange for Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann. The young forward quickly carved out a role in his home province of Quebec due to his speed and shutdown ability. Danault’s defensive presence was a huge reason for the Canadiens lengthy playoff run in 2021. Fans will remember him assisting on the Lehkonen goal that sent Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final. He would sign in Los Angeles through free agency following the team’s Cup Finals loss.

What This Trade Means

Danault fills a hole that Montreal desperately needed. While he isn’t a high-end second-line centre, Montreal needed an upgrade down the middle in any capacity. Furthermore, they needed a left-handed centreman as Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, and Jake Evans all shoot right. His addition means that Owen Beck will be returning to Laval in the coming days. It also means that Joe Veleno‘s days in the lineup are numbered.

While Danault doesn’t provide the offense and speed that he once did, he brings familiarity, experience, and intangibles to a young Canadiens team. His faceoff ability and defensive prowess will be a massive help to a 25th-ranked penalty kill unit. He also has familiarity with veterans Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson. Danault will likely begin his second stint with the Canadiens as the team’s third-line centre. This trade should bring some much-needed stability to a bottom-six that lacked depth and identity.