Phillip Danault

Last Season

Six goals and 17 points in 75 games, minus-three, on fifteen and a half minutes a night. He has scored twenty-seven in a season; this was not close to that, and the decline has been steady rather than sudden.

The Finesse Game

Modest and getting more so. The hands work around the net at close range, the shot is not a threat, and he no longer creates anything for linemates. Ninety-one shots across a full season describes a player who is not looking for the puck in the offensive zone.

The passing and the puck support remain sound. He rarely turns it over and rarely puts a teammate in a bad spot, which is what keeps a checking centre employed after the goals stop.

The Physical Game

Six-one and 200, and he plays a positionally physical game — on the right side of the puck, blocking shots, absorbing contact to make an exit. He is not a hitter.

He wins faceoffs and takes defensive-zone draws against the other team’s best, which is the job.

The Intangibles

He built a reputation here shutting down the best line in hockey through a playoff run, left for a long contract, and has come back to the same role at thirty-three with less to give.

Coaches still trust him completely, and on a team full of young forwards who need protecting from hard matchups that has real value. The honest read is that the value is defensive now, entirely, and the contract will look worse each year.