Looking ahead to the final four review articles of the 2023-24 season.
Here’s a look at forward Phillip Danault, who had the kind of season we should expect from him. His point total was slightly down from last season, although he flirted with 20 goals once again and provided awareness between two wingers who had great offensive seasons. His underlying metrics were fantastic and we’ll discuss them below, as well as the other aspects of his year, both positive and negative.
Philip Danault
LAK statistical line –78 games played, 17 goals, 30 assists, +12 rating, 18 penalty minutes
LAK Playoff Stats – 5 games played, 0 goals, 1 assist, equal rating, 4 penalty minutes
NHL Possession Metrics (Relative to Kings) – % CF – 55.9% (+2.5%), % SCF – 55.0% (+2.0%), % HDCF – 55.5% (+3.0%)
Upward trend – There was a line I used yesterday in Kevin Fiala’s article that I’d like to mention again for Danault, but in an expanded guise. I think it’s a statistic that encompasses who Danault is as a player. The statistic is that “only 13 NHL players ranked around 55 percent in all of the following categories: CF%, SF%, SCF%, HDCF% and GF%. Fiala was one of those 13.”
Danault is also one of those 13. The qualifier for Danault is that of those 13 players, only two had an offensive zone starting percentage below 50 percent. Danault is one of those two players, at 48.8 percent. For reference, Artemi Panarin is also in that group and his starts in the offensive zone were over 85 percent. Most were over 60 percent. To me, it means the Kings gave Danault tough assignments when it came to starting shifts in the defensive zone. Despite this, when he was on the ice, the team turned the play around and still controlled most of the shot attempts, scoring chances and goals. That encompasses a lot of who Danault is as a player. He’s not the flashiest guy on the ice, but he does a lot of things right. It’s part of what makes Danault valuable. He made pretty good lemonade no matter what ingredients he was given.
It also has to be about two-way play for Danault to distinguish it. During his three seasons in Los Angeles, this was his best in terms of suppression numbers. Danault’s on-ice goals against at 5-on-5 were the lowest of his three seasons with the Kings and the number of goals against matches up well with opportunities against, with scoring opportunities and high-danger opportunities against his level. lower with a per/60. base of the three years. Danault is tasked with starting in the defensive zone, facing challenging matchups against top opposing forwards and also a second-line role that requires offensive production in addition to defensive responsibility. He has always embraced those challenges, and in year three with the Kings, he delivered once again, in quietly effective fashion.
Downward trend – In the postseason, although he certainly had an excuse, Danault had just one point in the series and was part of the Kings’ struggles on special teams. Danault was playing with two broken fingers against the Oilers, one of which occurred during Game 2. As a result, he saw his own individual metrics drop from past playoff series, shooting the puck less overall and from dangerous areas. Danault was also third from bottom for the Kings in terms of percentage of scoring opportunities and controlled high-danger opportunities in the postseason. In shorthanded situations, he was on the ice for four power-play goals against Edmonton, most among the Kings’ forwards. Danault had 20 percent of his toes drooping, perhaps the most significant injury he has ever dealt with, but he was one of many he wanted more of in the playoffs.
The question I would ask here regarding Danault is whether we are okay with what he brings to the team if he doesn’t replicate the 27 goals he scored in 2021-22. In his first season with the team, Danault was a revelation in many ways. It wasn’t just the way he played, but he scored 27 goals while he did it. If Danault had been able to continue at that pace, scoring 30 goals while also offering the two-way play that he does, plus his willingness to play a shutdown role when needed…damn. He has already spent two consecutive seasons under 20 goals. Danault still contributes offensively, to be sure, but his goals and high-danger individual looks dipped again between 2021 and 2022. For a team that needs more scoring, getting back into that 25+ range would be really important for the Kings, while still being the effective player that he is in general.
Outlook 2024-25– Danault is halfway through the six-year contract he signed with the Kings in the summer of 2021. One thing you get with Danault is consistency. He has served as the team’s second-line center in each of the last three seasons and, despite adding competition in the middle, he isn’t simply going to give up that spot going forward.
Danault’s versatility and playing style will fit whatever role the Kings decide to assign him in the future. If he continues to center the second line, he’s up to the task. If the Kings opt to shake things up and potentially try out a lineup with Danualt at 3C, he said during his exit interview that he’s open to it and that his two-way play will provide a possession-dominant approach at that spot. Danault is a very important part of this team. Wherever he lines up next season, I’m sure he’ll still be effective.