The Los Angeles Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] have traded center Phillip Danault just before the NHL's roster freeze that kicks in at 12 a.m. ET for the Christmas break. Los Angeles received [https://x.com/LAKings/status/2002226315597131926?s=20] a 2026 second-round pick from the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] in exchange for Danault. The second-round pick is owned by the Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets], who are at the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference. With this move, Kings' GM Ken Holland removes Danault's $5.5-million cap hit [https://puckpedia.com/player/phillip-danault]. The player has one more year left on his contract after this season, fulfilling his six-year ticket. Los Angeles now has $9.2 million in salary cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/los-angeles-kings] in the aftermath of this deal. Also, the Kings now own two draft picks in the second round of the 2026 draft. This trade follows several reports, including from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman [https://www.sportsnet.ca/podcasts/32-thoughts/], about Danault and the Kings being willing to part ways. Phillip Danault (David Gonzales-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/71089228-b3c0-4187-a677-c1793e8eb6cd.jpeg] Phillip Danault (David Gonzales-Imagn Images) Danault is returning to his home province of Quebec in his reunion with the Habs. The 32-year-old played parts of six seasons with Montreal [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-2-more-teams-linked-to-kings-phillip-danault]. Across those years, he played 360 games for the club, scoring 54 goals and 194 points. He was also a part of the Canadiens team that advanced to the Stanley Cup final in 2020-21. With the Kings this season, Danault [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings/latest-news/what-is-phillip-danault-realistically-worth-on-the-trade-market] has had a very slow start. In 30 appearances, he's scored zero goals and put up five assists while averaging 16:19 of ice time per game, spending most of his time on the third line. Furthermore, he's missed the last four games due to illness. Breaching the Surface: Alex Turcotte and the Phillip Danault Dilemma [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/8f78ad5f-bda1-4d70-a445-0449c7a17f21.jpeg] Breaching the Surface: Alex Turcotte and the Phillip Danault Dilemma TAMPA BAY, FL – In a place that has been a house of horrors for the Los Angeles Kings, the team was able to squeeze out a 2-1 win in sixty minutes of play, no more, no less, at Amalie Arena. For anyone following closely, that was the 23rd game this season for the Kings in which the game was decided by just one goal. Scaling down, it was also the fourth consecutive game the Kings were without defensive linchpin Phillip Danault, who has been battling the flu. In those four games, the Kings have been outscored at even strength 8-4. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings/latest-news/breaching-the-surface-alex-turcotte-and-the-phillip-danault-dilemma] The shutdown, two-way center is signing off on his Kings tenure after five seasons and 349 games. In that span, Danault scored 70 goals and 200 points. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/64c4e4f0-14c1-4af6-8e0b-a5e3b1c7c160.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
