Phillip Danault Elite 2C?( on pace for 60 points)

[Captain97]

Danault's Stats:

40 points in 55 games (60pts in 82 games pace)
53.5% in the faceoff dot
Plays against opposing teams top lines
Receives almost zero power play time and is our primary penalty killer
Will turn 26 in 2.5 weeks.
Is He a 2C?

Click to read more...

 

[sansabri]

He took another step this year. Dunno about 'elite,' but he's a 2C now.

 

[Hostile Offer]

Got carried offensively by Tatar and Gallagher in the first half of the season but he's been great lately. Strong two-way player and can complement offensively talented players quite well but I don't think he can carry a top 2 line, voted 2B.

 

[Lshap]

Since December he's looked like a solid #2C. But before declaring him to be a legit #2C, let alone an elite one, he needs to prove himself for longer than two months.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Elite 2C? Good grief.

 

[TheGoldenGod]

Elite 2C...

MTL is having a nice season but I this is the first time this player will score over 40 pts. The tem "elite" is thrown around awfully generously on this board.

Here are some other 2C's and 1B tweeners for comparison and I'd take most of them over Danault in a heartbeat.

(no order)
Kadri
Johansen
Zibanejad
Schenn
Krejci
Stastny
Couturier
Duchene
Hayes
Hertl
OReilly
Hischier
Horvat
Trocheck
Nugent-Hopkins
Karlsson
Larkin
Dubois

 

[David Suzuki]

Nah but he certainly could be if he keeps progressing.

 

[malcb33]

Elite 2C, nah.

He really should be pushed down to the third line, maybe and elite 3c I could get on board with.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Ideally slotted, he’s probably a 3rd line center in a role like Lars Eller, Adam Lowry, Nick Bonino on those penguin teams

IMO.

 

[Jack Skellington]

Oh yes. One of those 3rd liners that get 55+ points with zero power play time in a defensive role.

 

[Burke the Legend]

He is ranked #40 in points for a centre how is that "3rd line". Would really like to hear some of you guys elaborate on what criteria you're using to reach that conclusion.

 

[MXD]

Got carried offensively by Tatar and Gallagher in the first half of the season but he's been great lately. Strong two-way player and can complement offensively talented players quite well but I don't think he can carry a top 2 line, voted 2B.

... And that's the thing. If you're carried by Gallagher (who is absolutely a first liner, but more of a support-type as opposed to a star) and Tatar (who is pretty much a perfect 2nd liner) while playing first-line, tough minutes...

It probably means you're doing something right and not really carried.

 

[HockeyDBspecialist]

An Amazing 2B, 2A potential but best used as one of the best ( if not the best) 3c.

Yes Danault is having Selke votes this year, he is not a bad 3c/4c

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

He has 25 pts in his last 24 games

 

[HockeyDBspecialist]

Kadri
Johansen 1c
Zibanejad 1c
Schenn 2c
Krejci 2c
Stastny 2c
Couturier 1c
Duchene 1c
Hayes
Hertl 2c
OReilly 1c
Hischier 1c
Horvat 2c
Trocheck 1c/2c
Nugent-Hopkins 2c maybe 1c time will tell
Karlsson 1c
Larkin 1c
Dubois 1c

you quoted a bunch of good 1c... makes no sense to compare Couturier, hischier,Karlsson,Johansen, Horvat and Duchene to Danault

 

[Jack Skellington]

Got carried offensively by Tatar and Gallagher in the first half of the season but he's been great lately. Strong two-way player and can complement offensively talented players quite well but I don't think he can carry a top 2 line, voted 2B.

He’s outscoring Gallagher and Tatar when the other 2 play power play and he doesn’t. Danault is a top end 2nd line centre. 55 points is basically low end FIRST line production.. The list of players that do that without powerplay is very small, even smaller if they have shutdown defense capabilities and a +22.

 

[Kairi Zaide]

you quoted a bunch of good 1c... makes no sense to compare Couturier, hischier,Karlsson,Johansen, Horvat and Duchene to Danault

No. They all are #2C.

There are only 10 #1C in the NHL, didn't you know?

 

[InglewoodJack]

He is ranked #40 in points for a centre how is that "3rd line". Would really like to hear some of you guys elaborate on what criteria you're using to reach that conclusion.

Well you see, he's not a known name, he's french, he's on the habs and if you stat watch you'll see he's never hit 40 points.

Also HF seems to think that a second line C has to put up 65+ pts

 

[Captain Mountain]

To early to tell. He's generally had good underlying numbers and been great at ES, but its hard to tell what he'll become. He's cemented himself as a great 3C who can play to-6 minutes though.

 

[Lshap]

He is ranked #40 in points for a centre how is that "3rd line". Would really like to hear some of you guys elaborate on what criteria you're using to reach that conclusion.

I admit I didn't know that. Having the 40th best production is obviously very good #2C credentials. I still think Danault needs a longer resume before considering him a bonafide top-6 C, but at least for this season he is.

 

[Sticksandsun]

2B

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

He is ranked #40 in points for a centre how is that "3rd line". Would really like to hear some of you guys elaborate on what criteria you're using to reach that conclusion.

It's pretty simple to me, there's 187 games of him scoring at a 33 point pace, and 55 games of him scoring at a 60 point pace. Maybe he's evolved/evolving as he's theoretically in his production prime right now, but I don't see why it should be taken as insult that people are a bit skeptical of which guy he is going forwards. Is that fair?

 

[Captain97]

It's pretty simple to me, there's 187 games of him scoring at a 33 point pace, and 55 games of him scoring at a 60 point pace. Maybe he's evolved/evolving as he's theoretically in his production prime right now, but I don't see why it should be taken as insult that people are a bit skeptical of which guy he is going forwards. Is that fair?

See stats are a funny thing in your 187 games you included his rookie season where he mostly played 4th line left wing. Let's instead do his most recent 189 games (so we are counting everything but his rookie season) he has a .5555 point pace. That's a 45.5 point pace per 83 games. And then you consider he has been trending upwards bit by bit it is fair to assume 50+ points is his seasonal norm moving forward.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

See stats are a funny thing in your 187 games you included his rookie season where he mostly played 4th line left wing. Let's instead do his most recent 189 games (so we are counting everything but his rookie season) he has a .5555 point pace. That's a 45.5 point pace per 83 games. And then you consider he has been trending upwards bit by bit it is fair to assume 50+ points is his seasonal norm moving forward.

Ok, knock off his rookie year without including this year and he sees an uptick to about 40 pts per 82, fair enough. I still think it's also fair to be a little bit skeptical that he's going to be a 60+ player moving forward. 50+? I disagree, but I could be convinced more of that than that he's suddenly Jeff Carter.

 

[Captain97]

Ok, knock off his rookie year without including this year and he sees an uptick to about 40 pts per 82, fair enough. I still think it's also fair to be a little bit skeptical that he's going to be a 60+ player moving forward. 50+? I disagree, but I could be convinced more of that than that he's suddenly Jeff Carter.

I think this might be his career year if he hits 60 points but it hink he could be a 45-55 point guy going forward. With his defensive play that would without a doubt make him a 2 C.