Phillip Danault Out With Illness

Some eyebrows were raised yesterday when it was revealed that Los Angeles Kings forward Phillip Danault would not play in the Kings’ Saturday contest against the Calgary Flames, due to the player’s name popping up in trade rumors over the last week. But while Danault remains a possibility to be traded, his absence yesterday was not for trade-related reasons; the veteran forward was ill, and unable to play as a result. It was reported on Dec. 8 that the Kings were exploring their options to provide Danault with a change-of-scenery type trade, but no deal has since materialized. The 32-year-old has scored at least 40 points in each of his four full seasons as a King, but has just five points in 30 games this year. He’s under contract at a $5.5MM AAV through next season.