Phillip Danault Return To Canadiens Delivers 4-Point Playoff Surge
Phillip Danault return to Canadiens has become one of Montreal’s sharpest playoff developments. The center has four points in two Eastern Conference Final games, and that surge has come after a Dec. 19 trade that brought him back from Los Angeles.
Danault’s late offensive burst
Danault has nine points in eight playoff games after Montreal’s first eight games, a steep rise from the one assist he had through those same eight outings. He also scored Montreal’s first goal in Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, then added four points in two games against the Carolina Hurricanes.
That run has changed the shape of Montreal’s postseason scoring. Before the recent stretch, he had been in the lineup mainly as the dependable two-way center the Canadiens wanted back when they traded for him on Dec. 19 and sent Los Angeles a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Montreal’s second chance for Danault
Danault’s return carried more than a roster move. He had played five seasons with the Canadiens from 2016 to 2021, left in the 2021 offseason, and signed a six-year contract with the Kings at a $5.5 million average annual value.
After arriving back in Montreal, he described the turnaround plainly: “It was a tough beginning of the year, (but) then (I) got a second chance here,” and added, “(They) believe in me. Different role, but better for myself.” Nick Suzuki said, “When we traded for him, I was probably one of the first guys to text him,” and recalled a long conversation in Boston about how much Danault wanted to be there and how much he wanted to win.
Carolina series shifts to Montreal
The Eastern Conference Final was tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 at Bell Centre in Montreal on Monday at 8 p.m. ET, with Danault’s production suddenly sitting near the center of the matchup. He had called the postseason stage “the best feeling in the world,” and said, “Playoffs are the best thing, and producing in the playoffs is even better.”
Montreal’s path to this point has already included a seven-game first-round win over the Tampa Bay Lightning and a 2021 Stanley Cup Final run that ended in five games against Tampa Bay. This time, Danault is coming into the next game with five points in the past three playoff games and a clear hold on a role that has gone from trade return to one of the Canadiens’ most productive postseason pieces.
