Canadiens Re-Acquire Danault, Signaling Rebuild Progress

The pizza-loving centreman, who helped propel the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup appearance in 28 years, was re-acquired late Friday night for the 2026 second-round pick the canadiens received from the Columbus Blue Jackets for taking on the full weight of Patrik Laine’s remaining $8.7-million cap hit two summers ago.

The fact that the Canadiens gave up this type of asset to the Los Angeles Kings to take on the full weight of Danault’s remaining cap hit – $5.5 million thru the end of this season and next – speaks to how far they’ve come in their rebuild. The move to acquire Laine in August of 2024 was made to provide an offensive boost and a morale lift to a team that had lost the most one-goal games in the league the previous season.The Canadiens still wouldn’t have progressed without the compensation of that second-round pick. They hadn’t yet proven ready for the next step,though Laine’s acquisition was intended to better prepare them to take it.

He helped, the Canadiens pushed forward, and general manager Kent Hughes stated following last season’s trade deadline that he felt prepared to soon “overpay” to acquire players via trade.

Now he’s done it, and here’s why:

As of this writing, the Canadiens sit third in the Atlantic Division but are tied for first with the Florida Panthers in points percentage. They’ve reached this position over 34 games despite not having a single reliable line.

key Takeaways

• The Canadiens’ willingness to take on Danault’s contract demonstrates their progress in the rebuild.
• the acquisition of Patrik Laine, while not a complete solution, was a crucial step in preparing the team for contention.
• General Manager Kent Hughes is now comfortable making aggressive trades to improve the team.
• The Canadiens are currently performing well, despite facing challenges with consistent line combinations.