Player Discussion Phillip Danault II: 2nd C? edition

[Lebowski]

Danault is playing well and may in fact turn into an effective 2C. He is one now and he remains so if he can keep it up.

He's a good example of the value of development. The Habs gave him the ice time and linemates that he needed to improve

2C is pushing it. He's a fine 3rd line center in my mind. If he's your 2C, chances are you're thin at C, and if you're thin at C, chances are you're not a serious cup contender.

I do agree with the development part, though. I think a lot of players end up being identified and stuck in a box way too early in their career and are never given the chance to blossom in a bigger role.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Danault is playing well and may in fact turn into an effective 2C. He is one now and he remains so if he can keep it up.

He's a good example of the value of development. The Habs gave him the ice time and linemates that he needed to improve

I think it has a lot to do with line chemistry. Danault is a middle 2C and it just comes down to how he fits within the forward group depth. The Tatar/Danault/Gallagher line is the best we have and there is zero weakness to this line. Are they a legit #1 line? Well for us they are but not for many other teams.

 

[DAChampion]

I think it has a lot to do with line chemistry. Danault is a middle 2C and it just comes down to how he fits within the forward group depth. The Tatar/Danault/Gallagher line is the best we have and there is zero weakness to this line. Are they a legit #1 line? Well for us they are but not for many other teams.

Yes, chemistry has a lot to do with it.

Danault was at his least effective with Radulov and Pacioretty

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

2C is pushing it. He's a fine 3rd line center in my mind. If he's your 2C, chances are you're thin at C, and if you're thin at C, chances are you're not a serious cup contender.

I do agree with the development part, though. I think a lot of players end up being identified and stuck in a box way too early in their career and are never given the chance to blossom in a bigger role.

In a league where it seems like more and more top teams have two future hall of famers as their #1 and #2 yeah Danault doesn't feel like a proper #2. He's doing a damn fine impersonation of one though. I really hope people wise up and realize he's a damn good player. I'm pretty chafed at people who think Eller was better or even similar and I was even an Eller fan. Danault's style of play is just so much more effective. Simple and smart player. Solid passer. Does all the little things well.

 

[Lebowski]

In a league where it seems like more and more top teams have two future hall of famers as their #1 and #2 yeah Danault doesn't feel like a proper #2. He's doing a damn fine impersonation of one though. I really hope people wise up and realize he's a damn good player. I'm pretty chafed at people who think Eller was better or even similar and I was even an Eller fan. Danault's style of play is just so much more effective. Simple and smart player. Solid passer. Does all the little things well.

Odd timing to bring up Eller into this after the kind of season, and especially playoff run, he just had.

Danault can probably produce around 50 points if given all the opportunities to produce offensively, and I don't think that's good enough.

Put him on a third line and I'd expect 30ish points. Which is what Eller gave us. Which is an adequate 3rd line center given his two-way game. I don't know if Danault has another gear hidden somewhere, but from what I've seen so far, he's not a top 6 on a cup contending team.

 

[Rapala]

Except he has been playing 2C this year.

Nobody expects him to be a top centerman.

Really we are talking about Danault right?

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Odd timing to bring up Eller into this after the kind of season, and especially playoff run, he just had.

Danault can probably produce around 50 points if given all the opportunities to produce offensively, and I don't think that's good enough.

Put him on a third line and I'd expect 30ish points. Which is what Eller gave us. Which is an adequate 3rd line center given his two-way game. I don't know if Danault has another gear hidden somewhere, but from what I've seen so far, he's not a top 6 on a cup contending team.

I meant specifically their play with the Habs in regards to Eller and Danault. If Eller's truly put it together with WSH than that's a different story. If they have the shortened 2013 season Eller then yes they have the better player.

I don't think Danault's a bonafide #2. He's a top notch #3 who can do good work as a #2 but likely not on a contender. He did pull off some pretty nifty moves earlier in the season which I didn't know he had in him so maybe there's a little more there. Likely not enough though.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

The guy continues to produce with zero PP time.

 

[Belial]

The guy continues to produce with zero PP time.

And he keeps getting severely underrated around here.

The guy's a beast at ES, he rarely makes mistakes or dumb plays, he's not flashy but extremely reliable and very smart. He's our next Plekanec!

 

[Andrei79]

Very impressed with him through 6 games.

Mostly, because he's not just north-southing with speed on every play. He's actually balancing pressure with offensive thought, thinking about what play's going to open up ice for him and his wingers.

That and I feel his D game has actually been at the level of its reputation. Meaning, he was responsible, but not as good defensively as people were claiming. Certainly not elite.

He's also like Domi, very versatile. And at worst, that's a valuable asset on the trade market (I don't want him traded for anyone wondering, even as a pro tanker).

That said, my reservations are much of the same ones as Danault's team itself: consistency over an 82 game schedule. So I'll be revisiting this at different points of the season.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Very impressed with him through 6 games.

Mostly, because he's not just north-southing with speed on every play. He's actually balancing pressure with offensive thought, thinking about what play's going to open up ice for him and his wingers.

That and I feel his D game has actually been at the level of its reputation. Meaning, he was responsible, but not as good defensively as people were claiming. Certainly not elite.

He's also like Domi, very versatile. And at worst, that's a valuable asset on the trade market (I don't want him traded for anyone wondering, even as a pro tanker).

That said, my reservations are much of the same ones as Danault's team itself: consistency over an 82 game schedule. So I'll be revisiting this at different points of the season.

actuallly, he basically just drops the puck to whoever is free as soon as he can. "offensive thoughts" ? not really.

his defensive game is top notch though.

 

[Andrei79]

actuallly, he basically just drops the puck to whoever is free as soon as he can. "offensive thoughts" ? not really.

his defensive game is top notch though.

Not true. He's had instances of holding on just enough to cause a switch or a a player to commit to checking him that frees up a linemate before dishing it. Didn't see much of that before. Saw him usually do what you just said or simply skate in forward stride up and down, while trying to put pressure on the puck carrier.

Not saying its at a high level, but it was absent and now its present at times.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Not true. He's had instances of holding on just enough to cause a switch or a a player to commit to checking him that frees up a linemate before dishing it. Didn't see much of that before. Saw him usually do what you just said or simply skate in forward stride up and down, while trying to put pressure on the puck carrier.

Not saying its at a high level, but it was absent and now its present at times.

doing something like that once in a while (not very often) doesnt mean much, I mean... we saw Max Lapierre do amazing moves once or twice per season to beat goalies. They were just "flashes" though, not signs of offensive thoughts.

 

[Andrei79]

doing something like that once in a while (not very often) doesnt mean much, I mean... we saw Max Lapierre do amazing moves once or twice per season to beat goalies. They were just "flashes" though, not signs of offensive thoughts.

Well, no.

Showing signs of offensive thought is... Showing signs of offensive thought. It's not predictive of the rest of the year, it just means he's done it in a small 6 game sample size. So, I'm not sure what you're arguing here. If he did 2 amazing moves that concluded in goals in those 6 games, we could be talking about him showing signs of offensive skill, which is what these events would be.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Well, no.

Showing signs of offensive thought is... Showing signs of offensive thought. It's not predictive of the rest of the year, it just means he's done it in a small 6 game sample size. So, I'm not sure what you're arguing here. If he did 2 amazing moves that concluded in goals in those 6 games, we could be talking about him showing signs of offensive skill, which is what these events would be.

every single NHLer has some moves he can do, all of them, that doesnt mean they're developping their offensive game though, it just means they can pull some move once in a while... (the same way DD sucked defensively but managed to save goals from the paint a few times)

a player doing a decent offensive move or two doesnt mean much, not in a league where guys like Jan Bulis or Lars Eller score 4 in a game, not in a league where guys like Laraque get a hat trick.

 

[Andrei79]

every single NHLer has some moves he can do, all of them, that doesnt mean they're developping their defensive game though, it just means they can pull some move once in a while... (the same way DD sucked defensively but managed to save goals from the paint a few times)

a player doing a decent offensive move or two doesnt mean much, not in a league where guys like Jan Bulis or Lars Eller score 4 in a game, not in a league where guys like Laraque get a hat trick.

Ok, and is there a point that pertained to anything I've said ?

I've seen you start by denying what was obviously true, only to then minimize it when the point wasn't to qualify what he did or what he will do, just pointing out that he's showing aspects that were simply absent in his tenure up to now.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Ok, and is there a point that pertained to anything I've said ?

I've seen you start by denying what was obviously true, only to then minimize it when the point wasn't to qualify what he did or what he will do, just pointing out that he's showing aspects that were simply absent in his tenure up to now.

actually, if you remember well, he's had flash (offensively) in the past. he's not showing anything MORE offensively this year so far.

 

[Mario le Magnifique]

He's playing well but I don't see anything in his play that makes me think that he's our perennial 2nd line center, ideally he'd play on our third line or fourth line and PK. In a couple of years he'll play behind Kotkaniemi and Suzuki.

 

[Cobra Commander]

Odd timing to bring up Eller into this after the kind of season, and especially playoff run, he just had.

Danault can probably produce around 50 points if given all the opportunities to produce offensively, and I don't think that's good enough.

Put him on a third line and I'd expect 30ish points. Which is what Eller gave us. Which is an adequate 3rd line center given his two-way game. I don't know if Danault has another gear hidden somewhere, but from what I've seen so far, he's not a top 6 on a cup contending team.

How in the world would Danault produce 50 points, he barely could hit 40 playing with Radulov and Max, he’s gonna need to play with Ovechkin to hit 50, even then.. never gonna happen.

 

[Cobra Commander]

And he keeps getting severely underrated around here.

The guy's a beast at ES, he rarely makes mistakes or dumb plays, he's not flashy but extremely reliable and very smart. He's our next Plekanec!

He sucks offensively just like Plekanec now too. Pleky light. He will never be close to what Plekanec was in his prime, not even close.

 

[Andrei79]

actually, if you remember well, he's had flash (offensively) in the past. he's not showing anything MORE offensively this year so far.

Yeah, I'm not referring to offensive flashes at large, but specific situations, that's been my point from the start.

 

[Cobra Commander]

In a league where it seems like more and more top teams have two future hall of famers as their #1 and #2 yeah Danault doesn't feel like a proper #2. He's doing a damn fine impersonation of one though. I really hope people wise up and realize he's a damn good player. I'm pretty chafed at people who think Eller was better or even similar and I was even an Eller fan. Danault's style of play is just so much more effective. Simple and smart player. Solid passer. Does all the little things well.

Danault doesn’t generate offense, his linemates create offense despite him. Eller scores double overtime winners and Stanley Cup winning goals.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Yeah, I'm not referring to offensive flashes at large, but specific situations, that's been my point from the start.

was not clear. that's what it sounded like.

 

[Cobra Commander]

He's playing well but I don't see anything in his play that makes me think that he's our perennial 2nd line center, ideally he'd play on our third line or fourth line and PK. In a couple of years he'll play behind Kotkaniemi and Suzuki.

Suzuki is a RW, not a natural center.

In a couple of years....

Kotka
??????..... maybe Domi
Danault
??????

Would be nice if we could trade Poehling+2019 1st+ something, for a 1st line center coming into his prime..

1st line C
Kotkaniemi
Domi
Danault

Now THAT would look very strong at center.

 

[DAChampion]

Danault doesn’t generate offense, his linemates create offense despite him. Eller scores double overtime winners and Stanley Cup winning goals.

Imo, both of Danault and Eller generate offense in the tegulre season. I'll remind you that Danault was an effective third line centre prior to being promoted.

That said, Danault sucked in the 2017 playoffs, whereas Eller has always been a warrior in the playoffs. The latter just takes command of the ice .