Canadiens sign Jake Evans to four-year contract extension
One of the more interesting trade chips in the NHL is off the market.
The Montreal Canadiens have signed forward Jake Evans to a four-year contract with an annual average value of $2.85 million.
Evans is in the midst of the best season of his NHL career, with the 28-year-old having scored 12 goals and 28 points in 61 games. He has never had more than 29 points in a season but could realistically finish with 40 for the first time ever. Evans has been on a bit of a down streak recently, with just three points in his past 10 games, but he has seen his ice time increase as he continues to showcase just how good he is on the penalty kill.
Evans sits just one point behind Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel (seven) for the best shorthanded output this year. He also blocks a ton of shots, makes smart defensive reads and rarely makes a poor play while under pressure. Montreal has been significantly more dangerous when Evans is clicking alongside Emil Heineman and Joel Armia, and Evans is on pace for a career-best of 16 goals and 39 points this year.
Evans was selected in the seventh round, 207th overall by the Canadiens back in 2014. The Toronto, Ontario native was selected from the OJHL’s St. Michael’s Buzzers, where he established himself as one of the league’s premier playmakers. Through four years at Notre Dame, Evans learned to be more dangerous in his own zone, but still had 138 points in 158 college games. Evans spent the 2018-19 season with Laval – his lone full-season AHL campaign – before earning a 13-game run with the Habs in 2019-20. He’s been with the big club ever since, giving the team a solid fourth-line center presence.
The Canadiens are still in the playoff hunt with a 30-26-5 record and 65 points. They’re one point behind Detroit for the last wild-card spot, and three behind Columbus for the first. There’s a four-point spread between seven teams for the two wild-card spots, so anything can happen in the coming weeks.
Montreal will challenge the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday evening, with the Habs looking to extend its current five-game point streak.