Insider Names 5 Trade Suitors for Canadiens’ Jake Evans
A pending UFA, Evans has recorded 11 goals and 25 points while handing out 69 hits in 50 games—on pace to shatter his career highs in each category. His role as a third-line center has been a big contributor to the Habs' resurgence this season, leading GM Kent Hughes to have some serious second thoughts on whether to trade or extend the 28-year-old.
But if Evans has parlayed his season into a value the Canadiens don't feel they can match with an extension, there are a number of teams that would be scrambling to trade for the shutdown bottom-six center.
Insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff has listed five teams he sees as the top potential suitors for Evans. In alphabetical order:
- Calgary Flames
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- New Jersey Devils
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Washington Capitals
We've heard that GM Don Waddell would like to reward his Blue Jackets players for the surprising, Cinderalla-story season they've authored to this point, and a third-line center like Evans would be a nice fit.
The Devils are looking to boost their depth scoring, as Seravalli notes, while pointing out that the two teams have been frequent recent trade partners. Jake Allen went from Montreal to New Jersey in-season last year, while defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic went to the Devils at the end of June, each trade returning a draft pick to the Habs.
A two-way, third-line center like Evans would be an absolutely ideal pickup for the Leafs, though Toronto/Montreal trades are very few, and very far between.
Seravalli says the Capitals already tried to obtain Evans once, at Draft time last year. They'd still be interested in him as a 3C.
Photo: © David Kirouac-Imagn Images
