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Montreal Canadiens

Canandiens Thinking Danault Might Be the Better Player To Move

Elliotte Friedman says the Montreal Canadiens are testing the NHL trade market of center Phillip Danault.

As per an interview on The Instigators podcast, Sportsnet analyst and hockey insider Elliotte Friedman noted that the Montreal Canadiens aren’t just going to be shopping Max Domi this offseason, but they’re likely to test the market on seemingly unhappy center Phillip Danault.

Friedman was asked about the situation in Montreal regarding Domi. He updated the reports saying that Domi has not asked for a trade. From there, he noted that the overall plan in Montreal is to run with Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi as their one-two punch down the middle. That means, “There’s a chance it could be Danault who goes instead of Domi.”

Danault, who is a free agent after next year might also be a player Montreal moves because Friedman said Danault told reporters “he’s not crazy about his situation as the No. 3 center.” Friedman added that GM Marc Bergevin is fearless and will do what he thinks is right. When asked ‘Why Phillip Danault’, Friedman said it had nothing to do with his upside. He said his contract status as a pending UFA after next year is one factor. The other is that Danault is expected to ask for a big number.

Friedman doesn’t believe the team and the player will meet on what his value is. Danault believes his value is higher than where the Canadiens have him slotted and where they’ll likely slotted in the future. If the Habs are going to turn the team over to Suzuki and Kotkaniemi, Friedman adds, Montreal doesn’t want to “risk having a guy here who’s not very happy about that.”

“I’m not saying Montreal is going to do it, but they are at least testing the market for him, which is normal.”

Related: Will the Montreal Canadiens Trade Domi or Danault?

What Would Danault Want?

Danault wants responsibility and an opportunity to be the best player he can be, at the same time producing the best numbers he can produce. Danault is making $3.25 million this season and Friedman says there will be a lot of teams happy to have that contract on their books.

It will be what a confident Danault will want after next year. He didn’t specify what the number would be, but it is assumed that if he’s stuck in a third-line role with Montreal, he’s not going to get a chance to max out his value.

Montreal Could Be Making a Big Mistake

The situation in Montreal just gets more and more interesting to watch by the day. It would be something if Bergevin chose to move both Danault and Domi.

It’s one thing to move Domi. The writing is on the wall there. But, to move a player like Danualt wreaks of a similar mistake the Buffalo Sabres made when they moved Ryan O’Reilly to the St. Louis Blues a couple of seasons ago. The Sabres were banking on the fact that prospect Casey Mittelstadt had arrived in the NHL. He hadn’t.

Now, the Sabres are left with pieces from that deal and a top-line center in Jack Eichel, but not a lot more in their top-six.

Next: Wild Insider Says Team is Shopping Matt Dumba in Trade

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