On Friday evening, the Los Angeles Kings traded Phillip Danault back to his former team, the Montreal Canadiens. In return, the Kings received a 2026 second-round draft selection, owned by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
For the last week and a half, trade rumors around Danault circulated rapidly. Numerous NHL insiders had reported that Danault was unhappy in LA and that his camp requested a trade. It was unclear whether Danult was dejected with his role on the Kings this season, or whether he simply wanted a change of scenery.
Danault, who served as one of LA’s alternate captains, was massively underperforming to start the 2025-26 season. Through 30 games, he managed a meager 5 assists and had yet to score a goal despite averaging over 16 minutes of ice-time a game. This comes following four straight seasons where Danault has recorded over 43 points with Los Angeles, serving as an effective middle-six, two-way center. Danault has also been a solid playoff performer in recent years for the Kings, as he’s totalled 19 points in 24 playoff games during his tenure in LA.
Despite not contributing much to the scoresheet this season, Danault’s defensive abilities will be missed. One of the best defensively minded centers in hockey, Danault has been a stalwart on LA’s penalty-kill in recent years. It is unclear how the Kings plan to manage their forward lines following Danault’s exit. Alex Turcotte is the most obvious short-term stopgap, but since it was reported that the Kings were originally hoping for a one-for-one player swap, they will likely make another move to fill the gap. Los Angeles has freed up $5.5 million in cap space following the trade, giving them some flexibility to make an addition.
LA’s lineup adjustments will likely be shown on Monday night, when the team hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets. LA will be looking to build off its win in Tampa on Thursday and bounce back from its 4-4-2 record over its last 10 games.