LA Kings' Trade Ask From Canadiens for Phil Danault Revealed

Friday, December 19, 2025 ,

Phillip Danault, LA Kings center, takes a face off

Time is ticking towards the midnight Holiday Roster Freeze in the NHL, and the LA Kings are anxious to trade unhappy center Phillip Danault. The Montreal Canadiens are rumored to be interested in a reunion, and the Kings' demand from the Habs in return is Jake Evans. But Montreal has other ideas.

Jean-Charles Lajoie of TVA Sports said on the JiC Show that parting with a younger center for the underperforming veteran would not be the right way to go for the Canadiens.

When it comes to Phillip Danault and the Kings, the request to the Canadiens would be Jake Evans. The Canadiens would prefer Owen Beck to be the one sent in the trade. The Kings prefer to have a guy established in the league, who will help them now rather than a project.

This report jibes with what insider Pierre LeBrun told us on TSN Early Trading on Thursday, when he said the Kings "Would rather make a deal where it's a traditional hockey deal where they get help now. It might be something that needs to play out here between now and March 6th (trade deadline)."

Beck is a 22-year-old who has all of 20 games' experience at the NHL level. This season, he was called up by Montreal recently, and is seeing minimal 4th-line minutes. In seven games, he has no points. The six-foot center had 44 points in 64 games last season with Laval in the AHL, and has 11 points in 22 games this year.

Should the Canadiens trade Jake Evans for Phillip Danault?

JiC show host Tony Marinaro disagrees with Lajoie, and seems to think that trading the 29-year-old Evans for Danault would be a good move for the Habs.

"I think Danault can bring more to the Canadiens than Jake Evans. If the Kings are willing to retain part of his salary, it becomes interesting, especially since he has a year and a half left on his contract. Evans, on the other hand, is under contract for four years," Marinaro said.

Evans is not having a great season offensively in the first year of his four-year deal, with 10 points in 33 games, and a -13 rating. He is owning the face-off dot, however, at a 54.1% win percentage, and he's still a vital piece of the penalty kill unit.

Danault, from Victoriaville, Que., spent 5 1/2 seasons with the Canadiens before heading to the Kings over four years ago. He has 399 points in 741 career NHL games, but is struggling this season to the tune of a mere five points (no goals) in 30 games. 

**BREAKING UPDATE**

Late Friday night, the Habs did indeed acquire Danault — for a second round pick in 2026  


Photo: © Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

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