Now that the Montreal Canadiens have acquired Phillip Danault, it’s time to evaluate the best possible usage for the 32-year-old centre.
The Habs lack depth at centre, which means his addition to the lineup alleviates one of the most pressing issues in the organization. The prevailing symptom of the lack of centres is that captain Nick Suzuki is being relied upon for essentially every situation a hockey team can face.
While it’s true that Suzuki is an iron man and refuses to miss any time, we do have to acknowledge that he plays through nagging issues, making it very difficult to give fulfill his endless list of duties. That’s not to say he has failed in any respect. More than anything, he’s managed to thrive in a very demanding role.
However, with Danault in the mix, the Canadiens not only add an important left-handed centre to the mix, they’ll also reduce the stress on Suzuki, while having the opportunity to rectify some of the biggest concerns at 5v5.
He’ll also help with special teams, particularly the penalty kill, but in this article we’ll focus on the best possible even-strength use of Danault in the lineup.
Finding A Line For Danault
Admittedly, I wasn’t overly excited by the possibility of acquiring Danault at this stage of his career, mostly because he’s gone through a significant decline in both his defensive and offensive numbers this season.
To be more accurate, I didn’t see him as a game-changing presence, which is fair from an analysis standpoint, but fails to see the forest for the trees when keeping the NHL’s barren trade market in mind.
There are almost no available centres around the league, and the Habs desperately needed centre reinforcements, something we must keep in mind when evaluating Danault’s cost of acquisition, a second-round pick (Columbus Blue Jackets) in 2026.
There’s no denying that Danault’s lack of offence with the Kings this year is a red flag, and yet, there’s a fairly decent chance he can re-ignite his offensive prowess if he’s used with linemates who happen to possess more natural talent than his most common line partners in Los Angeles; Trevor Moore and Warren Foegele.
With that in mind, I’d argue the Montreal Canadiens should use consider using Danault as their second-line centre, replacing rookie Oliver Kapanen alongside Ivan Demidov.
Yes, I know, Kapanen scores goals, and there’s absolutely value to his ability to finish a decent percentage of the seemingly endless stream of high-danger chances provided by Demidov, but the rookie duo tends to get outplayed by a wide margin at 5v5, which mitigates their overall ice time.
Oliver Kapanen finishes off a great play in transition from the Habs.
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 12, 2025
Kapanen absolutely has a nose for the net. Right place, right time. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/OLqJDz4hTt
With Danault on the second line, there may be a downtick in goals scored, though that was likely to happen anyhow, as Kapanen’s inflated shooting percentage is destined to collapse at some point.
More importantly, he could serve as a stabilizing presence, which, in turn, should lead to a higher average time on ice for Demidov, as head coach Martin St-Louis would no longer hesitate to use him when the game is on the line.
The other logical option would see Danault used as the third-line centre, in an attempt to rekindle some of the defensive excellence that took place during his first tour of duty with the Canadiens. Unfortunately, Brendan Gallagher is no longer able to provide as much offence as he did in yesteryear, but his underlying numbers are still better than most veterans in the lineup, and he does have an established track record playing with Danault.
The other part of the equation would be more difficult to solve. The third member of the once-dominant Habs line, Tomas Tatar, was incredibly underrated while in Montreal, and played a crucial role in facilitating their complete dominance of the neutral zone.
That being said, Alexandre Texier has been a pleasant surprise, and could perhaps serve as a placeholder on that line, providing more offence than his veteran linemates. This usage would entail re-assigning Jake Evans to the fourth line, which is a more suitable role for the 29-year-old centre.
Canadiens Forward Lineup Option No.1
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zachary Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Phillip Danault – Ivan Demidov
Alex Texier – Oliver Kapanen – Brendan Gallagher
Owen Beck – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Canadiens Lineup Option No.2
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Zachary Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Alex Texier – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Joe Veleno – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
All Montreal Canadiens and Phillip Danault statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
Which option would you prefer? Do you have a lineup combination in mind? If so, let us know in the comments section!
