Late Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens announced the acquisition of Center Phillip Danault from the La Kings. Well, re-acquisition, really, as the forward spent parts of six seasons with Montreal until the 2020-21 season, and was signed as a free agent by LA the following summer. The Kings received a second-round pick in compensation in the trade, ending his tenure in the final year of his deal.
This was Danault's fifth season with LA, and the most challenging of his stay by far. In his first four seasons, the Center averaged around 0.61 points per game. This year, in 30 games, however, he's stumbled out of the gate with 0.17 per game.
The two-way center hasn't built his game around point production, of course, as he's known more for his defensive prowess than his offense. Still, he averages 44 points over an 82-game pace in his career, a far cry from this year's production.
The Canadiens clearly noticed he's still winning over 50% of his draws and has a positive plus-minus over the year. The two-way game is still there, so perhaps a return home is the change of scenery they believe he needs to get back up to career average in scoring.
How Does This Affect Nashville?
This trade begins to set a weak market ahead of the deadline. With most of the league in or around the playoff picture in what looks like a historically tight race, most teams aren't moving out players. Even less likely to move are centers, as many teams are searching for some top-six caliber talent.
So if a Center with only five points in 30 outings and one point in his last 13 games can fetch a second-rounder, what could Ryan O'Reilly bring in?
O'Reilly has a strong 27 points in 33 games, while riding a hot streak of six points over the last five games. He is the best center expected to be available at the trade deadline, and rumors around the NHL seem to agree that the Preds and General Manager Barry Trotz are looking for a first-round pick and an "A+" prospect.
Based on production this year and on pedigree, it would seem the Preds should have no issue fetching that haul for O'Reilly. After all, the Center has a Conn Smythe Trophy in his trophy case next to his Stanley Cup ring, valuable experience any GM looks to add to the locker room.
The best comparable trade for O'Reilly in recent memory seems to be the Vancouver Canucks sending Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders. At the time Horvat was moved, he had 0.90 points per game, and at the time of writing, O'Reilly has a similar 0.81. The Canucks received an NHL forward, a conditional first, and prospect Aatu Raty.
At the time of the trade, Raty was believed to be the Islander's top prospect and was very recently selected in the first round. It's not a perfect science finding comparable trades, but both players are known two-way talents with the ability to pitch in points and help a power play. They also both served as NHL captains and bring valued leadership to a room.
The Danault trade and Horvat trade lead us to believe the Preds could easily move O'Reilly for a first-rounder and a prospect at this year's deadline. Maybe even a small piece more if a bidding war breaks out for his services. It isn't yet confirmed by Trotz that he's going to move the Center, but his name is swirling in trade rumors. Whether he is moved or not, the Preds fanbase will be watching Trotz with a skeptical eye.