Stu Cowan: Former Canadian Phillip Danault is enjoying life in LA

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Head coach Todd McLellan knew what the Los Angeles Kings were getting when they signed Phillip Danault as a free agent.

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More than a year later, McLellan says the Kings got even more than they expected.

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“When we got Phil, what we thought we were getting, we got, and there’s a whole other package that came along with it,” McLellan said after the Kings’ morning skate Saturday at the Bell Centre. “I’m sure people here in Montreal and Habs fans have appreciated his defense and ability to shut people down and we’ve seen that consistently over the last year and a half. But there is much more to it that we were able to see.

“His offensive acumen is at a very high level,” added McLellan. “His ability to win faceoffs, win puck battles. He uses his body position really well and is really strong on his edges. Good rod. There are many times when we find videos of him doing these things and use them in training situations for our younger players. And some leadership skills that we thought were there. We didn’t know how he would react when he entered a new dressing room. Sometimes it takes a while, but he has fit right in and has great leadership skills.”

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Danault signed a six-year, US$33 million contract with the Kings on July 28, 2021, less than a month after helping the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Earlier this season, it was reported that Danault turned down a six-year, $30 million offer from former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin.

The fact that Danault had turned him down was leaked to the media, and Danault admitted it affected his play during the regular season, when he struggled with 5-19-24 totals in 53 games. But Danault’s ability to shut down opposing teams’ No. 1 center was a big reason the Canadiens advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. He said money wasn’t the reason he turned down the Canadiens’ offer — he was more concerned about what his future role and ice time would be with the team with the emergence of young centers Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

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After the Kings made him their offer, Danault never received another from the Canadiens, so he left for Los Angeles.

Danault believed he could be more than just a defensive center, and the 29-year-old proved it last season with the Kings when he posted 27-24-51 totals in 79 games — setting career highs in goals and points — to go along with plus-14. The Kings also used Danalt on the power play, something that almost never happened in Montreal.

McLellan said Danault has been a positive influence on the Kings’ younger players and the older players who were part of L.A.’s last Stanley Cup team in 2014, and wanted GM Rob Blake and his management staff to bring in a player like Danault to give them another shot at a championship.

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“Phil came in and secured that,” McLellan said. “So I think he helped not only in the lineup, but in the lineup.”

Danault said he wanted to take another step in his career and the Kings gave him that opportunity. Saturday night marked his second game at the Bell Center against the Canadiens since signing with the Kings. He was not credited for the score last season when the Kings beat the Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. Danault was 7-12-19 in 29 games this season before facing the Canadiens.

After Saturday morning’s skate, I asked Danault if he thought he might still be with the Canadiens if the current management team — with executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and GM Kent Hughes — was in place when he was still in Montreal. Bergevin appeared to take it personally — as he often did — after Danault rejected his first contract offer.

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“I don’t know,” Danalt said. “I don’t control them. I don’t make those decisions. At the end of the day, it wasn’t up to me.”

Danault said he’s enjoyed his six seasons with the Canadiens, but admitted he doesn’t miss the media spotlight and being seen in a constant line on television after interviews. He can go out to dinner with his wife in Los Angeles without being recognized. He misses the Bell Center vibe and the passion of Canadiens fans.

“It was fun,” he said of his time in Montreal. “But I had to discover another side of hockey. More calm. Not under a microscope. It’s definitely different. But they both had fun. Montreal was great. Los Angeles is definitely fun too.”

What has been the biggest change for him in LA?

“The sun is full time,” he said with a laugh. “I just relaxed. You can go and just be normal, I guess. Live a normal life. For my family, I think it was really good to go there and just enjoy it for a little bit.

scowan@postmedia.com

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