Phillip Danault has improved his skating (at Jeff Gorton’s request)

Marc-Olivier Cook
Phillip Danault has improved his skating (at Jeff Gorton’s request)
Credit: Reuben Polansky-Shapiro/NHLI via Getty Images

Phillip Danault has never stood out for his skating ability.

And I'm not saying that to take a dig at him.

It's a fact: the guy wasn't super fast even before he left the Canadiens. And playing in the West, he lost a bit of his speed… because it's not a major factor in that conference of the National League.

But since the start of camp, we've seen a difference (and Renaud Lavoie was right to bring it up on the JiC show).

The TVA Sports reporter said he thinks Danault is faster… and there might be an explanation for all of this:

I talked to him about it, and he told me that as soon as the season ended, he never left the ice. He knew he had to improve his skating. – Renaud Lavoie

Basically, Danault never took a break from skating. And for a player his age, that's important.

According to Renaud Lavoie, Jeff Gorton met with Danault after last season to tell him he needed to work on his skating.

And that's exactly what the Quebec native did this summer. He put in the work to improve, and it's true that he looks more fluid and faster on the ice. That said…

People keep talking about the hole in the center of the second line. But could a guy like Danault fill that spot to plug that hole until the Habs acquire a player who can play there full-time?

Danault is 33 years old, he has experience playing on a top-6 line in the National Hockey League, and he knows how the game works.

Between Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky… how would that look?

I think I'd be curious to see those two talented young forwards paired with a responsible center like him…


In a nutshell

– Nice.

– I love it!

– The Braves pull off a win in the first game.

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