NHL Agent Reveals Reason For Trading Phillip Danault Back To Canadiens: 'It Was A Stroke Of Genius From Montreal's Part'
There is a long list of Quebec-born players who couldn't handle playing for the Montreal Canadiens.
In some cases, the pressure was too big and the spotlight was too bright. There is a responsibility that comes with playing for what is considered the biggest - and best - hockey market. And it can often scare off even the most talented player.
But when things were going sideways for Phillip Danault in Los Angeles earlier this season, the native of Victoriaville, Que., reached out to his agent with one request: get me to Montreal.
Dobes Will Try To Remain Perfect
Montreal Canadiens' netminder Jakub Dobes has yet to lose against the Carolina Hurricanes this season, and he fully intends to remain perfect when he steps between the pipes for Game 2 on Saturday night.
In Montreal, Danault has revived his role as a shutdown center and faceoff specialist who has a 57.5 winning percentage in the playoffs. But with two goals and eight points in 15 games, he has also provided the kind of secondary scoring that is a big reason why the Canadiens have a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference final.
"He fills in a chair - a role - that we needed," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. "We have some great young players, tons of skill. We need to have some veteran guys that can play a different role - killing penalties, good on draws, hard to play against defensively.
"It took him a little while to get acclimated (with) how we play, but he's fitting in nicely."
In Game 1, Danault scored a goal and picked up an assist in a 6-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. Afterwards, the 33-year-old veteran who celebrates wins with a post-game slice of pizza, spoke about how special it is to be back playing for the Habs.
"It's an honour," he told reporters. "Always had the (logo) on my heart … it's in my DNA. Just love the energy - electric, the fans. We have a great relationship with the fans, and it just means everything to me."
Carolina Got Their First Taste Of Adversity; How Will They Respond?
After a historic start, the Hurricanes must pivot from a blowout loss and leverage their league-leading bounce-back rate to level the series against a surging Montreal squad.
Indeed, Danault has found second-life in Montreal. It's a big change from his time in Los Angeles, where after 27 goals in 2021-22 he saw his role continually diminish to the point where he wasn't sure where he belonged on the team.
But the biggest change is that he's on a winning team.
According to Walsh, that was why Danault wanted out of Los Angeles to begin with. Four straight years of losing in the first round had worn him down. He wanted out. But more importantly, he wanted a chance to win - something he finally has in Montreal.
"I don't think he ever in his heart said goodbye to Montreal. It was always in him, it was always there," said Walsh. "The one thing that drives him and the one thing he talks about more than with any player I represent is he wants to win a Cup.
"It was a stroke of genius from Montreal's part."
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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 5:41 PM.