Los Angles Kings trade center Phillip Danault to Montreal Canadiens for a 2nd round draft pick

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Phillip Danault is returning to Montreal for a second stint after the Canadiens acquired the veteran center in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Friday.

The move, announced by both teams, came just before the NHL holiday roster freeze began on Saturday.

The Kings landed a second-round draft pick, which Montreal previously acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 32-year-old Danault had been mentioned as a trade candidate in recent weeks. The Kings' assistant captain is off to a sluggish start with just five assists in 30 games, while missing the past four with an illness.

Danault is noted for his two-way play and was in his fifth season in Los Angeles after signing a six-year contract with the Kings in free agency in 2021. He did so after spending six seasons in Montreal, capped with the Canadiens reaching the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, which they lost in five games to Tampa Bay.

It’s a homecoming for Danault, who is from Victoriaville, Quebec, and had 54 goals and 194 points in 360 games during his first stint in Montreal. He was selected in the first round of the 2011 draft by Chicago, and spent his first two seasons with the Blackhawks before being traded to Montreal.

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