The NHL froze its rosters at 11:59 pm local time on December nineteenth for the upcoming Christmas holiday. Because of this, teams needed to act fast in the event that they desired to swing a trade before the rosters locked. On Friday night, the Los Angeles Kings and Montreal Canadiens did just that with Phillip Danault.
The Kings sent Danault to the Canadiens in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick. Los Angeles parted ways with the veteran pivot after he spent parts of 5 seasons with the team. In 349 games, he scored 70 goals and 200 points for the franchise.
Nonetheless, he returns to the Canadiens at a relatively tumultuous point in his profession. Danault has not scored a regular-season goal since March thirtieth. And his last goal game in Game 1 of the Kings’ first-round playoff matchup with the Edmonton Oilers from this past spring.
The Canadiens need assistance down the center. Danault is searching for a fresh start. And the Kings desired to clear some space for other moves. How does this deal work for all involved? Listed below are our grades for Friday night’s Phillip Danault trade.
Kings set as much as make further moves
The Kings, just like the Canadiens, are taking a look at a push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Your complete reason they hired Ken Holland as general manager this summer was to go further than the primary round. Missing the playoffs entirely can be a significant failure for this team.
And yet, missing the playoffs is an actual possibility for Los Angeles. They’re only two points clear atop the Western Conference Wild Card race. They’re only 4-4-2 of their last 10 games while having a negative goal differential.
Scoring goals has been a problem for this team in 2025-26. Their 88 goals on the season are tied for the second-worst mark within the Western Conference. Only the St. Louis Blues have scored fewer goals than the Kings thus far within the 12 months.
Because of this, they needed to make some moves. Trading Danault is step one, most definitely. As mentioned, he had not scored a goal all season long. While he has a solid track record, they can’t afford to attend for him to come back around.
The return is not extremely inspiring, to be fair. There may be a good probability Danault finds his game again on a talented Canadiens team. Nonetheless, the Kings now have north of $9 million in salary cap space to play with. It is going to actually help once trade season truly heats up across the NHL.
Phillip Danault looks to return to form with Canadiens
Outside of the Kings, there isn’t any team within the NHL that knows Phillip Danault quite just like the Candiens. He skated in 360 games for the Habs before signing with Los Angeles as a free agent in 2021. If there’s any team that knows what he’s about, it’s essentially the most storied franchise in the game.
The Canadiens didn’t make this move for a feel-good reclamation story, though. Montreal has had a necessity for center depth for quite a while. Even when Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach were on the ice, the necessity persevered. With each of those players out long-term, nonetheless, the necessity for a middle is exacerbated.
Danault could slot in as their second-line center, especially if he can find his offensive production. Nonetheless, rookie Oliver Kapanen has played well enough on the second line. The truth is, Kapanen’s 10 goals this 12 months are tied for second amongst Montreal skaters. Danault would want to actually improve his offensive game if he wanted that type of ice time.
In any event, the Canadiens know what they’re getting in Danault. And the veteran center has a solid track record. This is just not a house run addition, given his 2025-26 struggles. But to bring him in without giving up a roster player is actually good business on behalf of the Canadiens.
Grades and final thoughts
The Canadiens and Kings receive positive grades for his or her part within the Phillip Danault trade. The Canadiens do receive a better grade, as they didn’t surrender much to amass the veteran pivot. Los Angeles could have used this trade to usher in depth on the roster.
Nonetheless, they settled for a second-round pick. Even when that pick may very well be top five within the second round, it is a disappointing return. Their newfound cap space, though, makes up some ground. Perhaps things will look higher for the Kings in the event that they make a greater trade with this financial flexibility. Only time will tell if that is so, though.
Montreal Canadiens grade: B+
Los Angeles Kings grade: B-