Former member of Habs coaching staff on Danault: 'He sees himself a lot bigger than he is'

The writing seemed to be on the wall regarding a split between Phillip Danault and the Montreal Canadiens when it was reported early last season that he had already rejected an extension offer from the team rumoured to be in the vicinity of $5 million per season. Once free agency opened, Danault signed a six-year deal with the LA Kings worth $5.5 million AAV. Due to that, a former member of the Canadiens coaching staff said he's not surprised Montreal let him walk.

"I love Phillip," said former Montreal goaltending coach Stephane Waite. "But when I saw his requests I was like, 'He sees himself a lot bigger than he is.' If you want to win the Cup, he's your 3rd C. And you don't pay a 3rd line [centre] $5.5 million. It's way too much. I love the guy, but you have to be realistic."

Waite made the comments while appearing on 98.5 Sports in Montreal. He added that while many believe the trade with Arizona for Christian Dvorak was Montreal's way of replacing Jesperi Kotkaniemi, he doesn't see it that way.

"I think the Canadiens replaced [Danault] very, very well with Dvorak who, for me, is a better player than Phillip, for less, younger. Dvorak, he's not replacing KK, he's replacing Phillip."

Dvorak, who also has a very good defensive upside to his game, is certainly more similar in style to Danault than he is Kotkaniemi, so Waite's assessment makes some sense. It appears the Canadiens are hoping former first-round pick Ryan Poehling will be a replacement for Kotkaniemi. Poehling has taken some time to develop, but had an excellent season in the AHL in 2020-21, recording 25 points (11 G, 14 A) in 28 games.

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