Phillip Danault: “This is not a trade the Kings wanted to make.”

Marc-Olivier Cook
Phillip Danault: “This is not a trade the Kings wanted to make.”
Credit: Getty Images

Things weren't working out for Phillip Danault in Los Angeles.

So the Kings traded him to the Canadiens for a second-round pick… even though the club originally wanted to acquire a player who could help right away.

That's why, in the eyes of Frank Seravalli(Canucks Central), it's not a deal the Kings wanted to make. They weren't able to go after what they wanted and had to settle for a mere draft pick for a guy who was popular on the market.

What happens is that the Kings – looking to make a run at the playoffs – now find themselves with a hole in their center line.

Phillip Danault was having a bad season in Los Angeles… but still played an important role in the line-up. The Kings would like to see Alex Turcotte develop as a third center, but he's not there yet.

And that means the Kings now have to find a solution at center.

I expect Ken Holland to be calling teams to see what he can come up with with (among other things) the 2nd-round pick acquired in the Phillip Danault deal.

The club is likely to be aggressive between now and the trade deadline to improve at center, after all… because they have what it takes to have a strong playoff run. But it's going to be tough if they don't add another center to their roster.

We know that good clubs that win the Stanley Cup always have a quality line of centers… and that's not the case in Los Angeles.

At least, it hasn't been the case since the deal that brought Danault back to Montreal. And that's kind of the problem right now.

I wonder how this situation is going to work out in California…


Overtime

– Things are really bad in Toronto.

– Hello, Michael!

– I love it.

– Please note:

– Happy reading.

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