This is why Philippe Danault should never leave Montreal

Quebec forward Philippe Danault should never have left Montreal. The opposition that the Los Angeles Kings present to Connor McDavid and his Edmonton Oilers, in the first round of the current NHL playoffs, is a powerful reminder for Canadiens supporters.

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With the duel tied at 2-2, Danault is doing well, facing McDavid regularly on the ice, even on the force.

According to data from the specialist website naturalstattrick.com, Quebec has played over 41 minutes against McDavid, five-for-five, over the first four games of the series. And so Danault has the heavy task of holding back the Oilers’ superstar, with the help of his wingers Trevor Moore and Victor Arvidson, not to mention veteran fullback Drew Doughty.

Huge business

McDavid had six points since the start of the playoffs, but four of them came on the power play. The only two goals scored in No. 97 were also on the power play. Needless to say, Danault, the center staffer, is doing a massive job against what is considered the best player in the NHL.

To add to the picture, Danault himself has collected four points in the most games against the Oilers. In the game on Sunday night, Quebec had two assists in a 5-4 loss to the Kings in overtime. He also ended the evening with a +2 margin.

Big mistake from Bergevin?

Ironically in Danault’s position he plays for the Kings, with former Canadiens general manager Mark Bergevin in a senior advisory role to GM Rob Blake.

It was precisely Bergevin who preferred to offer Brendan Gallagher a lucrative six-year contract for $ 39 million, rather than retain Danault’s services. The latter finally agreed with the Kings, in July 2021, for six seasons and $33 million.

Danault and the Kings will now be in Edmonton on Tuesday night for the fifth game of the series against McDavid and the Oilers.

In a text by colleague Jean-Nicolas Blanche published on SundayThe name Philippe Danault is precisely one of the ideal partners to play alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. In the “Best Choices If This Is a Video Game (And Anyone Can Play Wing)” category.