These two players play similar to Danault and have both managed to earn high-value contracts to teams looking for solid two-way forwards. As NHL teams move into strategies based more on depth scoring than star players, with two-goalie systems and an array of solid producers, guys like Danault are going to be highly sought after, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the Canadiens take advantage of this value, or give Danault a more lengthy extension outright.
He’s expressed his grievances with the Canadiens’ use of him in the playoffs, spending the majority of the time as the third line center, as rookies Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi took center stage with their impressive play and development. At 27 years old, Danault is still in the prime of his career and should look to break the 15-goal mark for the first time and possibly 20, though whether this will be with the Montreal Canadiens or another team remains to be seen.
Rumors have been swirling around players like Max Domi, Danault, and Jonathan Drouin since the conclusion of these playoffs, though there’s no telling whether theirs any legitimacy in them or not. At the moment, its just speculation, though it’s clear these three were not particularly pleased with the way they were utilized in the playoffs.
Personally, I believe Danault is worth the same amount as a player like Pageau or Hayes, and his ceiling, to me, has still yet to be reached as he looks to break into a more consistent offensive role.
It’ll definitely be interesting to see how things play out, and Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has quite a few decisions to make regarding the future of this team. Many of Montreal’s top players are heading into the final year of their contracts, so who stays and who goes will be an interesting story to follow.
It’s been an up and down year for Montreal, but Phillip Danault’s contract is one change that should be quite rewarding.