QUEBEC CITY — After having his best season on an individual level last year, Phillip Danault believes the Los Angeles Kings will continue to improve and there is no question that he will miss next year’s playoffs.
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While his freshman year in Los Angeles allowed Danault to gain confidence offensively with a harvest of 27 goals and 51 points, the 29-year-old forward still vividly recalls how he felt with the Canadian in 2021.
He wants to do everything possible to reach the spring meeting and participate in the Stanley Cup finals again.
“Ever since my last season in Montreal, I’ve really wanted to make the playoffs every year,” Danault said during an interview on the sidelines of the 12th Pro-Am Gagné-Bergeron. With the Kings, I was able to play my game in a different way. At the moment I don’t see any change in my role this year. We have good young guys growing and they are the ones who will give us a chance to win.
Interesting purchase
The Victoriavillois are delighted with the arrival of left winger Kevin Fiala, who was set to play in the Kings’ front row. He was acquired by the Minnesota Wild in June against potential Brock Faber and a first-round pick in the last draft.
“We missed that,” said Danault. It is a very good “fit”. [Le directeur général] Rob Blake did a great job. He wasn’t scared and it’s a very good move. It remains to be seen how young people will react to this.
The battle in the Pacific sector also promises to be fierce. The center doesn’t believe the loss of Johnny Gaudreau will weaken the Calgary Flames, who led the division last year.
“Gaudreau is no longer there, but [Jonathan] Huberdeau and [MacKenzie] Weegar have arrived. They balanced each other out. It’s a good team. On our side I see that we are taking another step forward. We have young people and we have gained important experience.