Former Montreal Canadiens centre Phillip Danault has struggled to produce with the Los Angeles Kings this season and has recently been put on the trade block. Danault has registered just 5 assists in 28 games, as his offence has essentially dried up entirely. Despite his offensive struggles, the former Habs centre is still very good in his own end. Given the familiarity between Danault and the Canadiens organization, there may be interest from both sides for him to try to bounce back offensively with the Habs. However, would Danault make sense for the Habs at this stage of his career?

Danault maybe on the market, interesting trade target…

He’s having a bizarre season. 0 goals. 4 assists. Very low on-ice shooting but also getting crazy goaltending so he has a 56% goal share anyway. Underlyings aren’t great but not bad either. pic.twitter.com/w1IVZSd5PR

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 6, 2025

Danault is currently in the 5th year of a 6-year deal that pays him $5.5 million a season, which he signed during the summer of 2021 with the Kings, after helping the Canadiens go on a miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Finals. His performance by shutting down opposing teams’ top centermen allowed him to cash in on his big payday. Unfortunately for the Habs, they haven’t been able to find a 2nd line centre that could isolate Nick Suzuki to the level that Danault had during the 2021 NHL season. Many people mention that the Cup run was solely thanks to Carey Price, but had it not been for Danault going up against all the top centres, allowing Suzuki to have his first real offensive breakout, the Canadiens never would have gotten as far as they did.

Habs can buy low on Danault twice in a career. https://t.co/6jxZqBWDWy

— Mike (@HabsLaughs) December 7, 2025

Over the years, Danault has regularly been able to be one of the best defensive centres in the NHL while putting up between 40 and 55 points every year. He has continuously been that type of player since his first full season with the Canadiens back in the 2016-17 season. Despite never putting up 60 points, he was still a top 6 centre with just how elite his defence has been. The only other centre in the NHL that really fits his style of play is Anthony Cirelli, who is also a top 6 forward despite not putting up more than 55 points in a season either. The reason is that the elite defence helps a lot.

When the Habs acquired Danault in 2016, they bought low on a 22-year-old centre who had the potential to become a middle-six, and it ended up paying off greatly as they got a centre who formed one of the best possession lines in all of hockey with Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher.

Now, if the Habs were to get Danault again, they certainly shouldn’t expect him to be among the top lines in hockey, but what he could provide the Habs with is to be someone who can still be a great defensive centre who will shut down the top lines on a nightly basis, taking the pressure off Suzuki so he can produce more offence.

Not to mention, if put in the right situation, Danault can still likely put up around 0.5 points per game. The offence isn’t coming because he’s slowed down; it is more because he doesn’t have the opportunities for the Kings to produce this season, given the emergence of younger offensive centres in their lineup. Danault no longer gets any power-play time and is being used for complete defensive situations.

Couple key Danault stats:

His individual expected goals per 60 has been in steady decline

On-ice xG % has fallen off a cliff this year after being steadily in the mid-50s

Shooting percentage has been in steady decline, but 0% is unsustainable

Shots/60 trending down pic.twitter.com/Ge0L8j74ht

— Marina Cities (@MarinaCities8) December 8, 2025

However, at the same time, if Danault doesn’t refind his offence, $5.5 million next season could be a lot of money for a guy who only brings a strong defensive game as a centre. With that being said, unlike when he was 22 years old, acquiring Danault, even at a low value cost, can be risky. Either way, it would be a move that gives the Canadiens some much-needed centre depth. Therefore, Danault shouldn’t be the first option when looking for a centre, but if nothing else is available, it could work at the trade deadline.

Do you think Phillip Danault would be a good fit as a 2nd line centre in Montreal, or are his best years behind him?