in general with FA looming someones gonna pay big for him whether he deserves it or not

Boston especially could be eyeing him considering Kreiji could go back to the Czech league

yeah I was wondering about that what happened

cause I remember him with the Preds and Penguins and he was great

He can still P/K and win FOs, but that's about it. He fell off a cliff; lost his hands and was too slow to play center. He was given every chance to succeed and failed at it last year.

There are several teams that should be looking at him. He seems like the plan b for a lot of the teams that miss out on Eichel. I have him going to either Vegas, MN, or SEA where he'll be a top-6 center, get PP time, be on a Playoff team, and get paid.

rn I see these teams circling the habs like sharks waiting to see if he goes to FA

1. Boston
2. Minissota
3. Vegas
4. NYR
5. Seattle

of those 5 Boston seems the strongest choice as picture Hall-Danault-Smith/Debrusk

Who's a Danault comparable to say what he's worth? No one has that much of a shutdown presence in his defensive zone yet that little offense in him but still good enough to actually be called a 2C or even 1C in some situations? Most of the offensively depraved shutdown guys are usually going to be your fourth liner that can pinch on your third and grind their way trough the game but Danault can literally dictate the game when on the ice without actually getting any (And I insist on the ANY) high danger chances.

No one's like Danault but sincerely he's getting more than 3.5 this year 110%. He'll be a hot commodity for some teams like Buffalo without Eichel or I'm convinced the Ducks would love to have Phil help out Zegras grow as their franchise center, he's the perfect wingman that'll help you win for years without being an 8M$ guy.


We're a game away from the Stanley Cup finals, nobody's getting fired over anything that could happen in the offseason sorry.

Danault would get Kaprizov-Zucc/Fiala/Boldy as his wings in MN, and a more stable d-corps and goalies there too. Vegas it would be a basically free pass to the Conference Finals every year (the Pacific isn't good).

like as of now this is how I see his wings should MTL lowball him

Boston Hall and Smith
Minissota: Kaprisov and Zuccarello
Vegas: Paccorety and Stone
NYR: Panarin and Buchnevich
Seattle: No idea but lets speculate JVR and Strome

either way no matter where he goes hes gonna get some good linemates especially

Koivu (9g/20a non-special teams points) for a decade in MN.

I wouldn't put him and Stone on the same line if I was Vegas. I'd have Marchessault or Tuch with him instead.

so maybe then move Karlsson up to line 1 and go with March-Danault-Smith

Defensive centres are really not that replaceable. Danault has excellent play driving numbers, he scores points at a reasonable rate (while playing elite defence) and is a UFA in his prime, with this being his best shot at a payday.

We’d all like our teams to sign players at a discount… that’s what Leafs fans thought would happen with Hyman. It usually doesn’t work out that way. The “right number” you mention means nothing… a negotiation is a 2 way street. The player has to give in but so does the team.

Because look around the league, that’s what 3C’s are getting paid.

Kerfoot - 3.5
Lowry - 3.25
Bonino - 4.1
Tierney - 3.5

There’s 4 examples. Danault is better than any of those guys and he’ll get paid like it.

I don't know how you can justify Gallagher's contract and not want to pay Danault, who has almost single handedly shut down some of the league's best offense these playoffs. Danault isn't getting the credit he deserves for making Price look like a god.

Ok enough already with the 3rd c scam. First NHLER to ever have 3.25 as a freaking ****ing pay was Paul Gustad back in 2016 ... 5 yrs ago. Buffola sabers so did spot a role player paycheck for defensive and faceoff awareness, Gustad was a 6f5 beast ... Weber circling faceoff mostly. At the same time MB did actually follow sabers and gave 3.9 to the reckless Shawzy, PK, PP grit, play from 1st to 4th unit and win face-off, after that they claim byron give them that contract cuz by then it was regular nhlpa demand and reality for a third unit player.

On Danault's side : 1 pk unit, cover 5vs5 1st unit, almost every last minute of a period in the last 4 years or so (over 250 games, number of FO and TOI, etc. Playoff included. at this day the comparable is Plekace 6x5 curve after a bridge of 1 yr 2.750 at that time in 2009 a decade later Danault is 3,083 (0.333 higher ) we can expect 6x5.575 or maybe go 7x5.000 ... oh and the points side has been done by Wabbit. So history tells us where the cap is for 3rd line duty and where Danault is in the depth chart .... you need to learn Wrecless

UFAs naturally get paid more he at least gets 5 maybe pushes a JGP contract bc that’s how these things work teams overpay

You and I probably have different definitions of the word « competitive »

I reject the notion that it’s the price to keep him. Maybe pre-covid, but even that’s debateable. Pageau produces offense in the playoffs and Danault simply isn’t comparable. Not even close.

In a post Covid, flat cap world, the majority here are simply wrong. Danault will get his Pizza sponsorship to make up the difference. He’s a good player, but y’all are out to lunch having been sold hook, line, and sinker by his agents’ arguments.

There is no way Bergevin pays him more than Toffoli. He’ll let him walk before that happens.

Whether or not another team is willing to make a mistake they’ll regret in a year or two remains to be seen.

Some here are convinced to that end, but I still have my doubts.

Sounds like an argument his Dad would make.

$25mm over 6 years is the absolute max I see Bergevin offering (comes to a $4.167mm) but that’s only if he doesn’t have other options available at cap hits he thinks is a steal (like Toffoli last year). But I imagine it’s going to be a buyers market again with the multi year flat cap ahead. We’re able to get creative with signing bonuses to keep cap hits low (like Joel Edmundson).

Tierney is another good comp, and I’d agree Danault is better. Probably on an untradeable contract though. Kerfoot and Bonino are both pre-Covid contracts and both are overpaid vs. the current market. Bonino’s salary is going way down next offseason judging from Granlund and Haula as UFAs last year.

I’ll agree that $3.75mm could be a reasonable middle ground for both sides as Danault is the best on that list.

Because it’s exactly the other way around. Danault on any other team wouldn’t have Jesus Price playing behind him and thus his defensive stats wouldn’t look nearly as good.

And that’s saying nothing of ur top 4 shutdown D, who all deserve as much or more credit than Danault.

He could be the closest comparable for his on ice performances but comparing a contract he signed 10 years ago (when he was in his prime like Phil is now) isn't fair value to compare Danault's next signing.

Nothing precovid is much of a comp for contracts post Covid, multi year flat cap, new CBA escrow environment.

Defensive players and young players still in their RFA years are the two groups most likely to get hit/squeezed.

Top UFA players still get paid, it's the RFAs and bottom-6ers that get less money. The cap is still $81m per team. The 15-16 season it was $10m less and the 11-12 season it was $17m less than today's cap.

As much as people want to say the sky is falling, it's not. Teams have been dealing with tight caps for as long as there has been a salary cap. It might mean not re-signing a player, RFAs getting bridge deals, selling off a player for less than market value, buyout, or paying someone to take a cap dump.

The cap is the reason why CHI didn't win anything after Kane/Toews got paid their huge deals. Each team will be opening up cap by losing a player to SEA, and GMs have had a full season to adjust to the reality of the flat cap.