The Montreal Canadiens reacquired Philip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings on Friday in return for a 2026 second round pick previously obtained from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team finalized the deal just before the holiday roster freeze, and they expect him to join them in Boston for Tuesday’s contest.
“As an organization, we noticed that we needed more experience at this point of the season. Experience in general and with the current injuries. Everybody knows Phil and his play. It’s something that will help us this season and next season,” Kent Hughes said on Saturday morning.
Danault’s contract that comes with a $5.5 million cap hit expires at the end of the 2026-27 season. The forward is struggling offensively with five assists in 30 games, while averaging 16:19 ice time. The general manager has confidence that the 32-year-old will succeed in his return to Montreal, “Very rare that somebody forgets how to play hockey. It’s just what are the circumstances that the player is going through that are limiting his ability or causing him not to perform to his potential.”
“Phil’s a good hockey player, and he had eight points in six games in the playoffs last year in a role where his primary responsibility was to shut down Connor McDavid,” added Hughes. “We’re pretty confident that he’ll come here and he’ll be re-energized.”
In addition to his experience, Danault gives Martin St. Louis another left-shot center. Since Alex Newhook’s injury, Joe Veleno is the only option for left-shot center. St. Louis said he isn’t yet sure where Danault will slot into the lineup, but confirmed he’ll take on a defensive role, which likely will include penalty killing duties.
Habs Notes
The Canadiens split a home-and-home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on the weekend. On Saturday, Montreal blanked Pittsburgh 4-0 at the Bell Centre, and the following night, the Penguins won 4-3 in shootout to snap their eight-game losing streak. Montreal’s road trip continues on Tuesday in Boston, before the pause for Christmas.
Here are notes from this weekend’s doubleheader.
- Lane Hutson collected his 100th career point on Saturday with an assist and became the youngest defenceman in franchise history to reach that mark. The coaching staff added Hutson to the penalty kill when Mike Matheson missed two games due to injury. They kept him in that role even after Matheson returned. Since Kaiden Guhle’s injury, Matheson would play the entire two minutes on the penalty kill.
- Jake Evans left during the first period of Saturday’s game following a collision in the neutral zone. If his absence is extended for a longer period, Danault’s acquisition becomes very timely.
- Jacob Fowler recorded a 31-save shutout at the Bell Centre for his second win of the season and both against the slumping Penguins. He became the third youngest goalie in Canadiens history to obtain first career shutout behind Patrick Roy and Carey Price. The 21-year-old’s performance is certainly making it difficult for management to return him to Laval.
- Oliver Kapanen scored his 11th of the season on Sunday, and only trails Cole Caufield for the team lead. Impressive season for the rookie in a role that few anticipated heading into camp.
Rocket Notes
The Laval Rocket were on the road to face the Cleveland Monsters (Columbus Blue Jackets) with a depleted roster. Laurent Dauphin, Alex Belzile, and Joshua Roy were serving the final two games of their three-game suspensions. The Monsters defeated Pascal Vincent’s squad 5-2 and 2-0. The Rocket host the Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning) in a double header starting on Saturday at Place Bell.
All eyes were on Samuel Montembeault in the two games, following his load to the AHL for conditioning purposes. On Thursday, he looked average between the pipes, allowing four goals on 24 shots. He was solid on Saturday, making 27 saves on 28 shots.
The original plan was for Montembeault to join the Habs in Pittsburgh, however, it was announced on Sunday afternoon that the netminder will practice in Brossard on Monday and Tuesday with Laval’s goalie coach Marco Marciano. St. Louis noted in Pittsburgh, with the Habs having a day off on Monday, and Fowler starting on Tuesday, there was more benefit for Montembeault to practice at home.
Despite Montembeault’s subpar season, the organization remains confident that he will find his way to perform again at the NHL level. “Sam is in Laval to get a break from here and find his confidence. We’ve all seen him in the last three years and we know he’s a good goalie. The question is whether it will take next week, two weeks, in a month, and we’re trying to find ways to accelerate it,” Hughes stated his assurance.
