LA Kings Rumors: Phillip Danault Has, In Fact, Asked for a Trade

Phillip Danault, LA Kings forward, skates with the puck

The rumors have been circulating since earlier this month: LA Kings veteran center Phillip Danault, who has struggled mightily on the offensive end this season, has asked for a trade. This comes to us from insider Marco D'Amico.

Sources indicate that Phil Danault has asked for a tradein LA. His camp hopes a deal gets done sooner than later; prior to the Trade Freeze.

Kings are willing to wait it out, looking for a player-for-player trade.

MTL, NJD and CAR are some of the teams to kicked tires there.
— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) December 16, 2025

D'Amico adds that the Danault camp hopes a deal can be made "sooner than later," i.e. before the Trade Freeze, which comes into effect on December 20th, in four days.

The Kings, however, are willing to "wait it out," says D'Amico, and wait for a hockey trade — player-for-player.

Kings forward Danault has officially asked for a trade

Kings GM Ken Holland and Danault's agent Allan Walsh were seen talking in the hallway after the Kings' 2-1 loss at home to the Calgary Flames this past Saturday. However, in a savage X/Twitter post, Walsh has called out D'Amico for his report, labelling it "shameful", as he wasn't consulted:

You never bothered to check with me. Shameful attention seeking reporting. #NotAnInsider https://t.co/Dke4rVfCNP
— Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) December 16, 2025

Danault has already been linked to his old team, the Montreal Canadiens.

The two-way center has really only been 'one-way' this season, as he has no goals and just five assists in 30 games. But he can still bring it on the defensive end, and is only 32. He was a Top 10 finisher in Selke balloting for four years running, through 2022.

His offensive contributions had been dwindling the previous three years with the Kings, but not by that much, from 54 points three seasons ago, to 43 points last year. But in 2025-26, his offense has fallen off a cliff.

Danault has one season left after this one on his six-year contract, with a $5.5 million cap hit. He owns a 10-team no-trade list, and making it even more difficult to trade him is the fact that the Kings do not have any retention slots remaining.