Montreal Canadiens: Philip Danault isn’t that far off from Patrice Bergeon
By Omar L
Philip Danault has gone through a lot of growth with the Montreal Canadiens, and the difference between him and Patrice Bergeron isn’t as big as it looks.
Patrice Bergeron is the golden standard when it comes to defensive centreman in the NHL. The 34-year-old has over 1000 NHL games played, a Stanley Cup championship won back in 2011, and four Frank J. Selke trophies, which is awarded to the player that demonstrates the most skill in the defensive end of hockey. For years, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping Philip Danault can become something similar, and after five seasons with the organization, the goal isn’t as far as we think.
It’s a significant claim to make considering how much Bergeron is appreciated in the league. He perfectly combines skill and execution on both ends of the ice and is good enough to consistently play on Sidney Crosby’s wing in international games.
The smaller detail stats tell a nice story when looking at Danault and Bergeron.
When it comes to defence, what stands out is a player’s ability to prevent the opposition from getting scoring chances and maintaining possession of the puck. Simple things such as takeaways and success in the faceoff dot are in Bergeron’s favour.
He’s 37th in the league amongst centres who have played at least 700 minutes at 5v5 in takeaways/60 (2.3) and has a 56.2 FO%. Danault, on the other hand, is 109th with 1.57 and has a 54.5 FO%. Not a drastic difference in the slightest, but a difference nonetheless. What works in Danult’s favour is his usage, and he has a higher percentage of defensive zone starts than Bergeron (50.2% vs. 40.3%).