Wednesday, June 15, 2022. 6:40 PM
The Quebecer Phillip Danault was the guest of Hockey 360 Wednesday, and the likeable athlete looked back on his contested first season with the Los Angeles Kings, almost a year after he accepted a six-year offer from them.
With the Kings, Danault doubled his NHL career-best goal production, scoring 27 goals in 79 regular-season games, before scoring three more in seven games in the seven-game losing streak to the Oilers. from Edmonton.
“I was really well received there, both by the organization and by my new teammates,” said Danault, who recently returned from settling in Quebec for the summer.
“My whole family, for that matter, because I couldn’t come to LA on my own. Everything we were told was respected. We really felt at home. »
Although Los Angeles will never be hockey’s biggest market, Danault said he was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere in the Kings arena after three consecutive absences in the playoffs.
“Edmonton is a city where everything revolves around the Oilers and hockey. While in Los Angeles, we arrive approximately at 13e rank in the popularity chart, with the presence of the Lakers, Clippers, etc. At Rogers Place, the crowd was strong and you could feel the vibe. But we too, the crowd was good in the playoffs, better than in the regular season. The better we are, the louder the people. »
Danault was brought in to compare two of the biggest stars on the Bettman Tour, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid, who recently met in the Western Conference Finals.
The 29-year-old striker, who is a father of two, provided an interesting analysis of the two star players.
“MacKinnon is a more complete player in my opinion. For his part, McDavid is extremely powerful offensively. I haven’t had the chance to play against him much in the playoffs, at least not when we were playing in Edmonton. But it is certain that he is dangerous as soon as he touches the puck. You can’t defend against him alone, it has to be the business of the six players on the ice, including the goalie. That’s not a job easy! In MacKinnon’s case, it’s his full line that’s solid, with (Mikko) Rantanen and (Gabriel) Landeskog. It’s hard to decide, but I think he’s the more complete player of the two. »
The No. 24 of the Kings chose to favor the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup final – “you have to go with the youth!” – while acknowledging that the two-time titleholders represent quite the term. He’s also not surprised that Tampa has a chance to add to their dynasty.
” I’m not surprised. It’s all about team culture at the Lightning, and there have been a few additions, including (Corey) Perry and (Brandon) Hagel. I’m not happy that they meet again in the final, but not surprised! “, he underlined with a touch of humor.