With just over an hour to spare before the holiday trade freeze took effect the Montreal Canadiens announced they had completed a trade with the LA Kings for forward Phillip Danault. In exchange for the forward the Canadiens gave up Columbus's 2026 second-round pick. Danault currently carries a cap hit of $5.5 million and has one more year on his six-year contract. The contract also includes a ten-team no-trade list. No salary was retained by the Kings in the trade.
The Canadiens have acquired forward Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 20, 2025
News release ↓ #GoHabsGohttps://t.co/u7S9L9pJnb
In what had been a silent day on the trade front, rumors surrounding a trade for Danault were glaringly loud. TSN's Pierre Lebrun mentioned that the rumblings around Danault had increased significantly leading up to the December 20th freeze. Initial talks in the trade apparently included bottom-six center Jake Evans, but was eventually whittled down to the second round pick. The pick that was traded was one acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets during the trade for Patrik Laine. Montreal still holds their own second-round pick in the upcoming draft.
The Montreal Canadiens have acquired Phil Danault for a 2nd rounder in 2026.
— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) December 20, 2025
Kings initially wanted a player (Jake Evans) but settled on a draft pick.
The Danault clan gets their desired move/destination and Kings get an asset they could flip by March.
Danault helps solidify the bottom six as a veteran center who can help alleviate some of the usage of rookies. As of right now with the current roster assembled the Canadiens sit $1.347 million over the cap, and it is more than likely multiple callups from the Laval Rocket will be sent down to clear up space. The Canadiens do also still have multiple injured players and more space will need to be cleared when those players make a return.
The Canadiens have needed some veteran presence on the team and bringing in some seasoned NHL experience could prove useful. The 32-year-old from Victoriaville may be struggling with offensive production but has still been more than effective in the faceoff dot, operating at %52.9. Danault is also a very defensively responsible forward and will help calm the waters on an up-and-down defensive team.
During Danault's previous tenure with the Habs he garnered 54 goals and 140 assists in 420 regular season games. His highest scoring season was 2022-2023 with the Kings where he netted himself 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points in 82 games.