"Useless GM wasting picks on washed players": Habs fans react as Canadiens trade for Phillip Danault from LA Kings

The Montreal Canadiens decision to reacquire Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings ignited an immediate and furious response from sections of the fanbase with critics blasting the cost and questioning the direction of the rebuild.

Montreal acquired the veteran centre on Friday sending a 2026 second-round draft pick, originally via the Columbus Blue Jackets, to Los Angeles. The deal brings Danault back to the organization he played for from 2015-16 through 2020-21 including the club’s run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final before he left for the Kings in free agency.

While he has long been valued as a strong two-way centre and defensive matchup option his offensive production has dropped sharply this season. At the time of the trade, Danault had zero goals and five assists in 30 games with his role and ice time reduced in L.A.

That stat line quickly became the focal point of online backlash. Following are some fan reaction from X:

“terrible trade. f***ing useless GM wasting pick on washed up players when he could just have re-signed dvorak for nothing” “2nd round pick for a guy with 0 goals in 30 games 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣,” one fan wrote.

Some fans framed the move as meaningless in the standings rather than a step forward.

“Wow. The Montreal Canadiens just went from a non-playoff team to a non-playoff team,” one comment read.

Sarcasm also flooded timelines in the hours following the announcement.

“Fleeced Navidad!” one fan joked. “Dude a second round pick are u kidding me 😂😂😂😂😂,” another mocked the price paid.

Danault is currently in the fourth season of the six-year $33 million contract he signed with Los Angeles in July 2021 carrying a $5.5 million cap hit.

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Edited by Anjum Rajonno