The Montreal Canadiens are adding some reinforcement down the middle heading into the holidays.
Montreal acquired centre Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, which previously belonged to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Danault, a Victoriaville, Que. native, has struggled offensively through his first 30 games of 2025-25 with just five assists while averaging over 16 minutes of ice time.
The 12-year NHL veteran has a track record as an impactful two-way player, however. In six of the last seven seasons, Danault has received votes for the Selke Trophy.
Danault, 32, will reunite with the Canadiens through this trade, as he played in Montreal from 2015 to 2021 before signing a multi-year deal with the Kings. He was a member of the Habs when they went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
The contract has two years remaining and carries a $5.5-million AAV.
Last season with Los Angeles, Danault scored eight goals and 43 points while registering a plus-20 rating. For his career, the former first-round pick has 125 goals and 274 assists in 741 games.
His best season came in 2021-22, when he found the back of the net 27 times with L.A.
The Kings have advanced to the playoffs in each of Danault’s seasons with the team, but have never advanced past the first round. In 62 career post-season contests, the left-shot forward has nine goals and 28 points.
The second-round pick heading to L.A. in the deal was originally acquired by the Canadiens alongside forward Patrik Lane in August 2024. Columbus dealt Laine and the pick to Montreal for Jordan Harris.
