Stop being disrespectful to Phillip Danault

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stop being disrespectful to Phillip Danault

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Sep 4, 2026 12:37 PM ET

Damn, sometimes I just don’t get what the crowd is thinking.

Sometimes I'm the problem—I'll admit it—but other times, it's clearly the crowd.

Since Brendan Gallagher left, the Canadiens have been left with a captain (Nick Suzuki) and just one assistant captain (Mike Matheson). So there's an “A” to hand out to someone before the season starts.

Several names have been thrown into the mix: Josh Anderson, Alex Newhook, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle, Noah Dobson…

I've even read comments from people claiming that Ivan Demidov would make a good assistant because he's the one organizing the summer training sessions in Brossard.

But I haven't heard anyone suggest Phillip Danault. And yet…

Danault is 33 years old. He's played nearly 800 regular-season games in the NHL, and nearly 100 more in the playoffs. He knows the Montreal market, and he's already worn the “A” on an interim basis during his first stint with the Canadiens, when Paul Byron or Brendan Gallagher was injured.

Phillip Danault is one of the leaders of the team. (Credit: YouTube)

Although he's never been named an assistant captain, his defensive impact and natural leadership in the locker room make him the best candidate right now. And he's from Quebec—he speaks French!

Danault could be a free agent in a year; naming him an assistant this fall would allow a younger player to take on even more leadership and be ready to wear the “A” as early as 2027–28.

I understand why people praise Josh Anderson's leadership in the playoffs, but during the regular season, he's nowhere near having as big an impact on the game. Alex Newhook? We don't even know what position he'll play or which line he'll be on. As for Noah Dobson, I think he's an excellent defenseman, but he doesn't have what it takes to be one of the team's leaders.

In short, I'd like to see a little more respect shown for Phillip Danault's candidacy. The guy has EVERYTHING it takes to fill the role left vacant by Brendan Gallagher's departure.

Overtime

I could also have written this piece to tell the people who are putting together their lineups and defensive pairings—and who are placing Danault as the 13th forward—that they don't know what they're talking about. Danault will start the season on one of the four regular lines—not the second line—and he'll have a specific role to play in the lineup.

Sometimes, I really wonder if people who comment on hockey know what they're talking about…

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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