Danault will certainly help, but...

I'll try and write a "glass half-full" blog, I promise. And, anyone who knows anything about me knows that this is a near impossible task.

But here we go...let's attempt to put on some rose-colored glasses, pour some red, white, and blue Kool-Aid down my throat, and find a silver lining here.

We spent all summer expecting a significant signing or trade to finally acquire a much-needed 2C or heck, a power forward who can score (Heinemann was .... no, you can do this...positivity, bells on...). In essence, we went from Crosby to...offensively challenged (bordering on crippled), zero-goal scorer....Phil Danault.

(Don't worry, here comes the positive spin)

So for lack of addressing the depth up the middle, acquiring a legit power forward (in short, a Josh Anderson with more scoring and higher hockey IQ) or a physical and stabilizing force on the back end (sorry Arber, you're just not in the cards), we also had to remediate a couple of lingering issues: the PK (rank 25th in the NHL) and our struggles in the faceoff circle (19th, albeit I expected we would be worse).

And Phil Danault can help in both departments, not to mention, he will undoubtedly provide experience and intensity, to a group that, at times this season, has sorely lacked both.

Now will this returning Hab (can we call him Punxsutawney Phil?) regain his scoring touch (had to throw in some sarcasm)? Likely not. But if he can regain his 45 point or so former self? I believe he will, reinvigorated by a change of scenery and playing a on team where he will feel more valued than in LA.

This has the power to be a real upgrade on our current options, Joe Veleno and Owen Beck. And, beyond Beck, there really was no depth option at C down in Laval, should any of our current centers go down with injury we would be in a real pickle (hoping Evans won't be out too long).

There is also a qualitative element that Danault will bring. Familiarity. There are several players on this team who played alongside number 24, and players like Suzuki, Caufield, Evans, Anderson and Gally will surely get a jolt, renewed energy, welcoming their old friend back into the mix.

Now does this move put us in a predicament vis a vis the salary cap and reduce our odds of being able to land a potentially bigger fish down the road? Possibly. But Hughes has been known, at times, to pull a rabbit out of his (feel free to choose your own word here).... And there could always be a way, with so many draft picks still in hand, to offer a sweetener for a team to take a player like Patrick Laine at the trade deadline (given he is a pending UFA) and hence make the cap gymnastics work on a future move.

It's also quite possible management felt this wasn't the year to go "all-in" on a major offensive upgrade, in particular with the supply-demand curve in complete disequilibrium (far more potential buyers than sellers). At the very least, it may also be more prudent to give themselves a bit more time to properly evaluate their young talent, both here in Montreal, and across junior and college hockey before sacrificing one of their young lambs.