Phillip Danault has been beloved by Kings fans since he signed in the summer of 2021. From his career-high 27 goals in his first season to his stellar defensive play, Danault has been a fan favorite in most, if not all, aspects of his game after his arrival.
Despite his somewhat subpar campaign in the 2024-25 season, in which he only managed to score eight goals, Danault was the Kings’ best player in the first-round series against Edmonton, recording eight points, locking down the deadly duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and even scoring the last-minute winner in Game 1. He looked to have revitalized himself, and fans were preparing for him to have a bounce-back season.
That has been the opposite of what’s actually happened, and Danault is in the worst form of his Kings career, having tallied no goals and only two assists during 5v5 play in 16 games this season. Diving a little deeper into the analytics of his even-strength numbers, his on-ice expected goals share for this campaign is just under 45%, which is comfortably the lowest of any season in his career.
Is Danault naturally regressing due to age? Maybe. If that’s the case, then the best way to combat this would be to lessen his responsibilities. The Kings could start by taking him off the second power play unit. Although his numbers on the man advantage were good in his first couple of seasons with LA, his effectiveness has dropped significantly as of late.
The Kings could also look to reduce his minutes at even strength. Although Danault is a 3rd liner on paper, he averages the fourth-most even strength time on ice per game among Kings forwards. Ice time should be earned, and the fact that he continues to be deployed normally despite not playing well contradicts this philosophy.
What does this mean for Danault down the line?
On paper, his numbers are unsustainably low. Although Danault hasn’t scored yet this campgain, his expected goal tally is just over two. This means, analytically speaking, his goal total should pick up at some point.
On the other hand, this statistic doesn’t take into account the shooting talent of a player. Danault’s expected goals last season was nearly sixteen, when in reality he only scored eight. Quite frankly, any total under fifteen goals isn’t good enough for a third-line center on a team that is supposed to be a contender. In fact, if his trend of being unable to finish continues, it’s quite possible that the Kings explore the possibility of moving on from the aging center.
Danault’s contract is fairly movable as well. He has an annual cap hit of $5.5 million, and his deal expires at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season. There are a plethora of teams pushing for the playoffs that are in the market for a middle-six center as well, which would add to his potential market value.
Given the number of weaknesses the Kings have with scoring this season, they need Danault to begin contributing offensively once again. If not, with each passing game, the possibility of a drastic move keeps growing larger.
