Last season, Montreal Canadiens center Phillip Danault was pulled from a productive third line center role to the top line with Max Pacioretty and Alex Radulov. Following the move, his production stayed relatively the same. Despite a disappointing display in the playoffs, he nonetheless emerged last season as a young center who could produce 40 points in 82 games with defensively responsible play. He belongs in the Habs top six.

Phillip Danault Fits in the Montreal Canadiens Top Six

Former Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien liked him. Current head coach Claude Julien likes him. Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin clearly likes him, as he was the main target in the Dale Weise trade to the Chicago Blackhawks. How would Danault fare in his second full season with the Habs, and really his second full season in the National Hockey League?

Just Another French Canadian Filler?

While nobody in the Habs fanbase wanted to see Danault back on the top line, the idea of him just being a third line center was out of the incorrect assumption he was just another David Desharnais. Desharnais, as many have forgotten, did have the skill for years to play in the top six but was ill-suited for top-line duty. Danault, only 24, deserved a chance to show he could be a top six performer. Maybe some held a grudge to the fact they never got to see Lars Eller play that role, but the Habs should be moving forward instead of being held to the presumed sins of their past.

With Alex Galchenyuk being held back from playing the center position, and Jonathan Drouin being set up with Pacioretty on the top line, there was room for Danault to play a second line role. Julien, hoping to get more out of Plekanec, played Danault and Tomas Plekanec as 2A and 2B with the second and third lines a mix of middle six performers at the beginning of the season.

In the first eight games, Danault scored one goal and one assist, struggling with only two points at a time when most of the Habs were struggling. The perceived bromance of Jonathan Drouin and Max Pacioretty ended. Pacioretty would play with Danault again, while Drouin stayed at center. An assist against Florida was a start, but it was the four-point performance against the New York Rangers on October 28th that would cement Pacioretty and Danault together.

Back With The Captain

Since the reunion on October 24th, Danault has nine points in 11 games. The captain Pacioretty, often maligned for being invisible when the Canadiens need him most (he’s now the all-time regular season overtime goal scorer in Canadiens history), has six goals in the same 11 game span.

Why do things work so well with Danault and Pacioretty? Danault is a worker. He is a skilled two-way defensive player who works hard for pucks in the corner. Danault is not trying to break the game or do everything himself. He is always trying to get pucks on the stick of his linemates.

Danault also knows his role. Drouin and Pacioretty are top guys, and when both try to be the top guy on the same line, they commonly cancel each other out. It is why the Habs kept Alex Kovalev and Saku Koivu separated a decade ago. Pacioretty needs someone to get him the puck at the right time. He needs a grinder to ensure that he is not doing all the work retrieving pucks. Danault does that, and it’s probably why Andrew Shaw has been attached to the two since the line was formed. The line at times reminds one of when Andrei Kostitsyn – Tomas Plekanec – Alex Kovalev that was the top producing line on the Canadiens in 2007-08 in how they operate (not a talent comparison, just style.) Shaw does the dirty work, Danault does the setup, and Pacioretty finishes.

Phillip Danault: Top Six Centre?

So is the Habs recent play just a hot streak when the Canadiens got their groove back? Or is this what fans can expect for the rest of the 2017-2018 NHL season? I would say a little bit of both. Last season, Danault showed it didn’t matter if he played with Byron and Shaw or Pacioretty and Radulov. His production would be a consistent half point per game. This year, Danault is back in that half point per game world, maybe a little better.

If the line keeps up their chemistry (as much as Shaw in the top six makes me sick to my stomach) I can see Danault easily producing as a top-six center, not because he’s with Pacioretty but because he’s ready for it. It’s better for Pacioretty to also live on a perceived second line, without the entire pressure of the Canadiens offense on his shoulders. The promised prince Drouin can continue to impresses on the top line. Pacioretty – Danault – Shaw might end up with more minutes, but in the minds of Habs fans, the skill will be with Alex Galchenyuk – Jonathan Drouin – Artturi Lehkonen. That would work just fine for the Habs. Danault might not be an ideal first line center, but he’s doing everything he needs to be an ideal second line center.

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