North Notes: Danault, Benn, Dube

Canadiens center Phillip Danault is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and while it was previously reported that there wasn’t much news on the contract front, Mathias Brunet of La Presse reports that the team did reach out with a long-term offer back in September.  The proposal they were believed to have tabled was a six-year, $30MM pact, a $5MM AAV which would have represented a notable raise on his current $3.083MM AAV.  Brunet notes the offer wasn’t countered with his agent, former NHL goaltender Stephane Fiset, declining to comment.

Danault has quietly emerged as one of the better two-way centers in the league, putting up 100 points over the past two seasons while finishing no lower than seventh in Selke Trophy voting both times.  As things stand, he’s set to be one of the better middlemen available in free agency and even in a softer marketplace, he could still beat that offer.  Whether the Canadiens can afford to with now nearly $66MM in commitments for 2021-22 remains to be seen.

More from the North Division:

• Canucks defenseman Jordie Benn has been cleared to play, notes Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. He has yet to play this season after testing positive for COVID-19 and will be a welcome addition to a team that is banged up on the back end.  The 33-year-old played in just 44 games last season, logging a little over 16 minutes per night but may immediately be called on to play more than that given their current situation.
• The Flames are hoping to have winger Dillon Dube available for their next game on Sunday against Toronto, relays Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. Dube is dealing with a lower-body issue sustained on Monday against Vancouver and while he left that game, they haven’t played since.  He has spent some time in Calgary’s top six already this season so getting him back without him missing technically even a single game would certainly be a positive.