Can Phillip Danault get out of his funk, and is his future in LA?
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Are Canucks Trading Quinn Hughes? episode on Los Angeles Kings forward Phillip Danault, his struggles this season, and if a trade is in his future.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Bukauskas: “Okay, another name we’re kind of wondering about here in terms of the, what does the future hold? Could a fresh start be the best solution here? Phillip Danault in Los Angeles.
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Like that’s a guy who had been a great matchup center for the last number of years with Los Angeles. Of course, he developed into that in Montreal before signing with the Kings. 28 games into the season, Elliotte, no goals, five assists. It’s just been a strange start to the year for Danault.
Who himself has admitted that he’s tried everything he could think of. He’s gone through past things when he’s been struggling earlier in his career to try to work out of it. And as he has said, nothing to this point has worked. What do you think could be going on there?”
Friedman: “Well, there were some reports that he could be on the trade market. And I could see this being a case where both sides would want it to happen, both the player and the, and the team.
You know, look, you look at the base numbers, Philip to know, is a better player than that. You know, we’ve seen it. Over the last couple he’s been a very big part of LA. And in the last three years, as they’ve been, you know, tortured by the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs, he has generally played pretty well against them. Like he’s been one of their betters, and the better players in these playoff series, even though they can’t get over this Oiler hump.
So, you know there’s, there’s only two ways to look at this, as if Father Time, who is undefeated, has finally gotten to Phillip Danault, or his just his runway in LA is over now. The only other way this could really change is if LA just says, ‘Okay, you know, we’re going to jump you over Kopitar and Byfield, you’re going to be one of our top two centers.’ But I don’t see that, at least not this year. Who knows what could happen next year? I don’t see that this year.
But the fact this got out, it says to me that I think the player on some level would welcome it to. Like I said off the top, like the Philip Danault I’ve seen over the past couple years is a much better player than the one we’ve seen this year. Just hasn’t been good.”
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Bukauskas: “Yeah, and that’s why it’s stuck out so wildly because, this isn’t the player we have we have come to know. So hopefully for the player, all of it gets sorted one way or another, for the better.”
Friedman: “Okay, it sure looks like it’s been trending in this direction for a little bit.”
Bukauskas: “Okay, all right. Good to note.”
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