EL SEGUNDO –– Ahead of Monday’s playoff opener in Edmonton, the Kings spent the past two days working as a team while simultaneously recognizing individuals.

Friday, it was the longest-tenured King ever, Dustin Brown, being honored as he announced his forthcoming retirement after 18 seasons in black and silver (and occasionally purple). Saturday, it was the revelation of team award-winners, which were headlined by a fresh face, second-line center Phillip Danault.

Danault, who signed as a free agent last summer, was voted the team’s top newcomer and its most valuable player by the local press corps. He was also selected as the Kings’ player of the year by the fans and as their most inspirational player by his teammates.

“Thank you to (the news media), my teammates, the organization and the fans, thank you very much,” Danault said. “It’s a big honor for me. I didn’t expect that at all coming into my first year.”

Also honored were Matt Roy, who edged out Drew Doughty and Sean Durzi as the media’s selection for most outstanding defenseman, and forward Trevor Moore, who was voted by the press as the Kings’ top all-around defender regardless of position.

To a man, the Kings expressed that Danault’s contributions exceeded not only statistical boundaries but personal ones as he helped others excel.

Moore, who has skated on a line with Danault for much of the season, credited him with providing an imitable example across the entire ice surface and beyond.

“His puck protection is so good … when he gets the puck he can hold onto it forever,” Moore said. “Also, the way he uses his stick in the D zone, he’s just really good at little touches on the puck; it’s never easy when he’s on that side of it.”

Despite being a defenseman, Durzi also benefited from Danault’s tutelage, especially off the ice in terms of mental preparation, visualization and meditative techniques. The two traveled together frequently. It wasn’t an exclusive relationship though as Danault was a popular and magnanimous figure in the Kings’ dressing room.

“We’re still evolving with a lot of youth around. Yes, Anze Kopitar and Brown and Doughty and (Jonathan) Quick are great leaders and great mentors to the young players. But Phil is an outstanding go-between,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said.

“He’s closer in age to some of these players. He’s a first-round draft pick that went from Chicago to Montreal to LA, and he’s still in his 20s. Kopi, Brownie, Quickie and Doughty have never left the LA Kings, so there’s a whole bunch of experiences that he brings to our team that a lot of players haven’t had, and he’s very open,” McLellan continued. “He shares these things with the players. He never has breakfast alone and he never has lunch alone.”

Danault, a Quebec product, plied his trade for the Montreal Canadiens last season, but the francophone connection could not close the ideological gap between him and former Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin.

The Kings offered Danault not only a handsome raise and a no-movement clause, but also an expanded role, moving him from the bottom six to the second line. The Kings’ confidence ultimately lured him to Southern California. Ironically, Bergevin would follow. He was hired as a special assistant to GM Rob Blake after he and the Habs parted ways earlier this season.

Danault’s primary adjustment was to provide more offense, which he did: His 25 goals were more than he scored not only in a single NHL season, but in any minor-league or major-junior campaign of his career. Danault exceeded expectations on the score sheet and saved his best month for last, racking up 10 points in 11 April games along with two game-winning goals as the Kings traversed a tightrope into the postseason.

Aside from consistent and timely scoring, he was as advertised or better on defense and in the faceoff circle. He has proven a master of positional play in all three zones as well as an asset when pursuing pucks to establish possession and protecting them to sustain it.

That’s part of why McLellan doesn’t envision reverting Danault to any sort of defensive specialist’s role, even as the playoffs loom and carry in tow the challenges of neutralizing some of the world’s most gifted offensive players.

“I think when Phil’s on offense, he’s defending the best way possible. He’s attacking the other team’s net, he’s relentless in the O zone, he’s stripping pucks, he’s keeping plays alive, he’s winning O-zone faceoff,” McLellan said. “That’s a really good defending tactic, if you will, and I’d like him to keep doing that.”

Last season, the Kings struggled to fill the void in the middle of their second line. Veteran Jeff Carter played winger predominantly and took the fewest faceoffs of his career before being traded to Pittsburgh. Gabriel Vilardi, who moved to the wing this season, too frequently showed his inexperience in a key role. Quinton Byfield, while a tantalizing talent, remained a teenager in need of further seasoning.

Danault has enabled the Kings to use Kopitar less frequently on the penalty kill – his shorthanded time on ice was second lowest it has been for an 82-game season since 2011 – and not have to deploy him for every big draw, especially in the defensive zone.

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Having added one of the most complete second-line centers in the NHL behind one of the most complete No. 1 pivots in league history proved a timely acquisition for the Kings. They’ll now have to face Edmonton’s two-headed monster of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

“Phil has obviously done a great job this year. Most nights he was our best player, really. It’s just the one-two punch that we can (have),” Kopitar said. “We’ve got to match that with those two guys up there. They obviously have  a ton of skill and me and Phil are going to have to be up to the challenge to match that.”