Canadiens’ Jake Evans could be missing piece for a Cup contender’s bottom six

Credit: Dec 12, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans (71) looks on during warm-up before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

We’re just over five weeks from the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline and we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story every day until Deadline Day.

Today we continue our player profile series with Montréal Canadiens center Jake Evans, who is the No. 17 ranked player on our Trade Targets board.

2025 Trade Deadline Countdown: 37 Days

JAKE EVANS
Center, Montréal Canadiens
Shoots: Right
Age: 28
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 187 lbs
Cap Hit: $1.7 million
Term: Pending UFA
2024-25 Stats: 49 GP, 11 G, 14 A, 25 Pts, 15:38 TOI
Career Stats: 6th season (all Montréal), 317 GP, 38 G, 79 A, 117 Pts
Best Year: This Year, 49 GP, 11 G, 14 A, 25 Pts, 15:38 TOI
Playoffs: 2 appearances, one Stanley Cup Final, 13 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 Pts

Archetype and Ideal Role

Shutdown Forward, 3rd Line Center

Evans is a highly intelligent role player. Ideally, on a true Stanley Cup contending team, Evans would be pushed down to a fourth-line center role, but he has shown so far this season that he is eminently capable of taking on tough assignments and still finding ways to produce. He could also play on the wing on a team with center depth. He should be featured on a team’s first penalty killing unit.

Scouting Report

The story of Evans’ career arc is incredibly impressive as a player who would not be denied. The Toronto native played three years of Junior A hockey for the St. Michael’s Buzzers, where he caught the eye of the Canadiens’ brass and was selected 207th overall in 2014 – four picks from Mr. Irrelevant. Evans then played four years at Notre Dame, which earned him the right to choose unrestricted free agency, but still elected to sign with the Canadiens.

Now, after steady improvement each season to become a relied upon player for Marty St. Louis, Evans’ career with the Habs is at a crossroads. They are interested in extending him to keep him, but it cannot be at a price that will block future young players on their rise through the organization. At the same time, other teams have begun to notice the value that Evans brings to the lineup and they’ve shown interest.

Evans has been one of the catalysts of the Canadiens’ turnaround this season. His line with Emil Heineman (before injury) and Joel Armia was extremely effective, a true ‘trust’ line for St. Louis that took on tough matchups. St. Louis doesn’t have to guess with Evans’ line on the ice and hope they play the right way. Evans doesn’t defend with physicality; he utilizes his smarts to cut off the paths of attacking opponents and he limits time and space with his competitiveness and aggression.

Evans is one of only four players in the NHL with three or more shorthanded goals this season, trailing only the Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart for the league lead. Evans creates chances while shorthanded using his stick and instincts to jump on loose pucks. He doesn’t cheat for opportunity.

Offensively, Evans is having a career season, as evidenced by his 21.6 percent shooting percentage – which is well more than double his career average. He is already two goals away from matching a career high. That might scare off some teams, but if you watch Evans’ game closely, he has been very selective on his shot attempts. He doesn’t force poor quality shots and is actually more prone to setting up teammates than taking the shot himself.

Buyer Beware

Evans is unlikely to ‘wow’ a team in any one category. He isn’t particularly fast; his maximum speed as indicated by NHL EDGE is below the 50th percentile. He isn’t uber-skilled and won’t dominate in a skills competition. He isn’t very physical. And he certainly isn’t flashy. But he is definitely competent.

One particular item to beware: For as much time as Evans spends on the penalty kill, he has struggled to win draws in the defensive zone while shorthanded. His overall faceoff numbers are solid, but Evans is just 42 percent while shorthanded in his own end. Given that he has taken the fifth-most faceoffs while shorthanded in the NHL this season, that might be a concern moving forward as teams will look to win possession and get that 200-foot clear to begin a kill.

Potential Suitors

Washington Capitals: Believe the Caps were the team that tried to acquire Evans last summer at the Draft in exchange for a second-round pick, and that makes some sense. They’ve tried to fill that 3C role this year with Lars Eller, but Evans would be a better fit.
Toronto Maple Leafs: It feels unholy because it’s the Leafs, but GM Brad Treliving has acknowledged he is looking for a third-line center and specifically pointed out that he wanted someone “reliable on both sides of the puck and can add offense.”
New Jersey Devils: The Devils are looking for an upgrade on Erik Haula and a way to increase their depth scoring. Evans could be a fit and these two teams have been recent trade partners.
Calgary Flames: Could see the Flames being interested in a right-shooting center like Evans, even if he doesn’t necessarily provide the high-end scoring touch they’re after. They have the draft picks to make it work.
Columbus Blue Jackets: If GM Don Waddell is looking for a relatively low-cost, reliable reward for the Blue Jackets this season, could Evans fit the bill? He could easily be re-signed to stay.

Comparable Trade Returns

March 6, 2024
To NY Rangers: Alexander Wennberg (50 percent retained)
To Seattle: 2024 2nd Round Pick (No. 63 overall: Nathan Villeneuve), 2025 Cond. 4th Round Pick

Here’s the thing: the Canadiens have five of the first 96 picks in the 2025 Draft. They’ve had plenty of picks recently, so if you want to acquire Evans, you’re going to have to give up a solid pick to do so. Otherwise, Montreal appears to be more than content using him as an ‘own rental’ in their own playoff chase as they want to play meaningful games in March and April. They wouldn’t be afraid to let him walk as a free agent on July 1 for nothing.

Is it possible that Evans brings back a very late first-round pick? That feels like a reach. I believe the Canadiens had a mid-second round pick on the table for Evans at last June’s Draft. This time around, the Wennberg deal looks like a solid comp. If you throw out Wennberg’s statistical outlier season, a lot of his offensive production is in line with what Evans is producing this season – now on track for 18 goals. And Evans is arguably a more detailed, shutdown-type role player than Wennberg, providing a more complete game. Given that Evans earns only $1.7 million on the cap, there likely wouldn’t be a need for retention and thus the second pick in the deal.

Summary

By no means is Evans going to be a game breaker or game changer. But with the right expectations set and proper deployment, he is exactly the type of addition who could be a sneaky under-the-radar addition that helps put a contending team over the top.

Daily Faceoff analyst Jon Goyens contributed to this report. Find him on Twitter: @gourmet_hockey

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