The Montreal Canadiens acquired Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings on Friday. L.A.'s return proves that the market for a middle-six veteran center is a seller's market.
The Montreal Canadiens pulled off a significant late-night trade on Friday, acquiring veteran center Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings for a second-round draft pick in 2026.
The Canadiens have been looking for a second-line center for months now, and although the price the Habs paid for Danault was hardly a steep one, Montreal picked up an NHL pivot who has been struggling all season long in part because the trade market for middle-six centers is clearly still a seller’s market.
Indeed, considering that the 32-year-old Danault has a costly annual salary of $5.5 million, it’s somewhat surprising that the Kings were able to insist on no salary retention for any team wanting to take Danault off their hands.
Danault’s offense has fallen off a cliff this season, as he has just five assists in 30 games – putting him on pace for one of the worst campaigns of his 13-year career.
Danault’s production with the Kings last season regressed for the second straight season, but he still managed to post 35 assists and 43 points in 80 games. With this move, Montreal GM Kent Hughes is hoping for Danault to bounce back from his slow start in his second stint with the Habs.
That said, the Danault deal speaks to something Philadelphia Flyers GM Daniel Briere said this past summer regarding second-line centers.
Briere told the media it was extremely difficult to acquire a proven veteran center, effectively trying to lower the expectations Flyers fans might have in terms of Philly picking up proven help down the middle.
“Calling around the league, finding centers, it’s almost impossible,” Briere said back in June. “And forget it – you’re not going to find a first-line or second-line center…Centers have a lot of value these days.”
Now, shortly after making those comments, Briere gambled on former Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras. The Zegras trade – which was Zegras to Philadelphia in exchange for Ryan Poehling, a second-round pick and a fourth-rounder – has turned out to be a home run for the Flyers.
Zegras has 20 assists and 34 points in 33 games, but make no mistake – acquiring Zegras was a gamble on Briere’s behalf.
While Zegras would’ve been a fun addition for the Canadiens, Montreal was hoping that youngster Kirby Dach would’ve been able to fill the hole, but that hasn’t happened.
Dach has once again been injured and limited to only 15 games this season. So Hughes threw caution to the wind on Friday and gambled on Danault.
In a buyer’s market for middle-six centers, the Canadiens might’ve been able to get the Kings to retain some of Danault’s salary or exchange for a lower draft pick. But Kings GM Ken Holland was able to unload all of Danault’s salary, and still get a relatively high draft pick out of Montreal.
Ken Holland's Latest Move May Force Him Into Another
After Los Angeles Kings GM Ken Holland sent Phillip Danault back to the Montreal Canadiens, there will be a gaping hole down the middle when next season rolls around
Remember, the Habs are still in a tough fight just to be in a Stanley Cup playoff position, and the longer the Canadiens waited to pick up an experienced center, the higher the cost would’ve been for one.
So then, Montreal has brought back Danault into the Canadiens fold after he spent the past four-and-a-half seasons in L.A. But one thing is for sure – waiting any longer to see what the market for a high-end center could’ve easily blown up in the Canadiens’ face. Hughes essentially said ‘enough is enough’ and chose to deal for a cost-controlled center for this season and next year.
Time will tell whether re-acquiring Danault was the right move. Nonetheless, Danault now has the opportunity to play once again in his home province – and that could jump-start his game and prove the Habs were smart to bring him back.
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