Kings Send Phillip Danault Back to Canadiens in Trade

The Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings pulled off a late-night trade before the NHL's Roster Freeze went into effect. The Kings agreed to trade forward Phillip Danault back to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a second-round pick in 2026.

It had been said for a while that Danault was going to be traded, but it was only a matter of where he was going to be traded to. But that decision was finally made overnight as he heads back to Canada to play for the team that he had been on for quite some time in the past.

The Canadiens have acquired forward Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.

News release ↓ #GoHabsGo https://t.co/u7S9L9pJnb
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 20, 2025

Danault played 6 seasons for the Canadiens while appearing in 360 regular season games totaling 54 goals and 140 assists. He heads back to a familiar place where the fans know him well. He is able to go to a team where he can be deployed up and down the lineup for head coach Martin St. Louis.

The Kings move forward with cap relief for a player that really no longer fit on their team and they get a decent draft pick in return for Danault. This does not necessarily mean that the Kings are selling, more so that Danault was not a fit on their team anymore and they were trying to get something for him.

Acquiring Danault gives the Canadiens flexibility in their lineup

When Danault was acquired overnight by the Canadiens, it seemed to be a win for them so far. They were lacking a bit of depth behind forwards Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky among others.

Dec 13, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Montréal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) controls the puck in the third period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

But acquiring Danault who specifically plays center and can also move up-and-down their lineup gives St. Louis options now. The Canadiens have been missing center Alex Newhook for a bit now as he has been out with an injury.

But now being able to slot Danault in at center in the middle of the lineup can really help them fix their Newhook problem for the time being. Danault might not be able to replace the production that Newhook was putting up so far this year, but this trade does help them.

Danault had tallied no goals and 5 assists through 30 games played so far this year for the Kings. But maybe he can find that scoring touch again now that he is back with one of his old teams and can be deployed in different ways. This is a win for Montreal and a win for the Kings.

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