“I felt helpless”: Phillip Danault opens up about his trade from LA Kings to the Montreal Canadiens in a major NHL trade

NHL Player Philip Danault has opened up for the first time after his trade from the Los Angeles Kings to the Montreal Canadiens in a major trade recently. The trade of Danault to the Montreal Canadians has raised serious concerns, as he played extremely well when he arrived in Los Angeles, but his overall play has tapered off.

With the trade, the center will again play for the Montreal Canadiens, where he played from 2015-16 through 2020-21. This is a homecoming for Danault, who hails from Victoriaville, PQ, which is less than two hours from Montreal. Reports state that it has been almost a week since the Los Angeles Kings traded Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens. While both sides have moved on, Danault made his season debut for the Canadiens on Tuesday. Let’s take a look at what Danault had to say about this trade to the Canadiens.

Philip Danault opens up for the first time about his trade to the Montreal Canadiens

Phillip Danault has spoken for the first time since the Los Angeles Kings traded him to the Montreal Canadiens. In his statement, it seemed that the former LA Kings center wasn't pleased with the way he was handled ahead of his return to Montreal. Ahead of Danault's return to Montreal, he spoke to the media for the first time since the trade was announced and discussed what led to his departure.

Speaking to mediapersons in French, Danault stated, "I felt like I had no purpose and that I couldn't bring anything to the team with what I had. I felt helpless and not important. That's how I felt at the end."


Previously, while speaking to the NHL, he stated, "I feel like chaos right now," Danault said. "I am moving my kids, my wife, we have a house there, selling the house, everything. So a big change, for Christmas especially. But I feel good. It was obviously tough towards the end in L.A., and did not feel well at all."

Danault further expressed optimistically, "So a good start, a good, fresh start for me. I'm really happy to be here. Went from the oldest group to the youngest in the NHL. It's kind of a weird stat, but it's true, and I'm happy to be one of the mature guys here."

Danault became the Canadiens' second-oldest player behind Brendan Gallagher after he was traded back to the team for whom he played from 2016-21. Earlier, Danault signed a six-year, $33 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) with the Kings on July 28, 2021, and has one more year remaining after this season.

According to the NHL, Danault had 194 points (54 goals, 140 assists) in 360 games when he played with the LA Kings. Apart from this, he had 195 points (70 goals, 125 assists) in his first four seasons in Los Angeles over 319 games. But this season has marked a downturn in his offensive production, with zero goals and five assists in 30 games. It will be interesting to witness what Danault will bring to the table of Canadiens in the upcoming season.

Also read: “When you’re a kid, you dream”: Marshal Warren lives his childhood dream in his first NHL home game with New York Islanders | NHL News - The Times of India


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