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Canadiens made a questionable first decision with Phillip Danault after acquiring him
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Since Friday night, a decision regarding Phillip Danault has been drawing reactions in Montreal.
The Montreal Canadiens acquired him from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a second-round pick in 2026 a few days ago.
However, Danault was not in uniform Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, nor on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
What makes it louder is the timing of Jake Evans' injury. The 29-year-old center suffered a knee injury, and Martin St-Louis confirmed that he did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh.
Despite that, there was still no sign of Phillip Danault.
But why wait so long before inserting Phillip Danault into the Montreal Canadiens lineup?
Danault is 32 years old and brings a wealth of NHL experience-he is well past the learning phase and fully understands the demands of the league.
Meanwhile, as Maxime Truman from DansLesCoulisses mentions, the comparison with Mason Marchment has been circulating everywhere.
Marchment was acquired late Friday by the Columbus Blue Jackets (after Phillip Danault), and he played the very next day, even scoring in his first game.
"Phillip Danault was traded to the Canadiens on Friday night, just minutes before Mason Marchment was dealt to the Blue Jackets.
Marchment joined the Blue Jackets the very next day-and scored in his first game on Saturday night with Columbus.
I understand that Danault had a longer flight to take (Los Angeles to Montreal) and that it was unrealistic to think he would face the Penguins on Saturday at the Bell Centre, but it is still unusual that he did not join the team in Pittsburgh yesterday."
- Maxime Truman, DLC
Marchment joined the Blue Jackets the very next day-and scored in his first game on Saturday night with Columbus.
I understand that Danault had a longer flight to take (Los Angeles to Montreal) and that it was unrealistic to think he would face the Penguins on Saturday at the Bell Centre, but it is still unusual that he did not join the team in Pittsburgh yesterday."
- Maxime Truman, DLC
On the Canadiens' side, Kent Hughes indicated that Danault needed to ease his way into the club in Boston. The objective is to finally see him in uniform tonight against the Boston Bruins.
In short, people are really starting to look forward to seeing Phillip Danault back in uniform with the Montreal Canadiens.
A file to follow today and over the next few hours.