Canadiens and Kings make last minute trade before Holiday Roster Freeze.

The Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings pulled off a last minute trade deal on Friday night, one that came just moments before the National Hockey League's holiday roster freeze came into effect.

In an official announcement, the Canadiens confirmed that they had acquired the services of veteran forward Phillip Danault from the Kings in exchange for a second round pick at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. That second round pick is not the Canadiens own second round pick in 2026, but is instead a draft pick that previously belonged to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Danault has long been considered a highly skilled shutdown forward at the NHL level but his production has seen a significant decline over the course of the last two seasons. In his current season with the Kings, Danault has no goals and just 5 assists for a total of 5 points over the course of 30 regular season games.

While that may raise questions about why the Canadiens are targeting Danault in this deal, the Canadiens will have a very firm grasp on the player they are acquiring. Danault previously spent 6 seasons of his NHL career as a member of the Montreal Canadiens making both parties very familiar with one another.

Although the holiday roster freeze is in effect, there are still games to be played and Danault could very well play for his new team in very short order. The Canadiens face the Pittsburgh Penguins twice over the weekend in a back to back, with the first game in Montreal on Saturday and the second taking place in Pittsburgh the following day.