Multiple Teams Interested in Canadiens Forward

Multiple teams are inquiring about a veteran Montreal Canadiens forward.

Feb 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA;Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans (71) and Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) chase down the puck in the second period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens inch closer to being sellers at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. Despite their best efforts, the Habs are falling further out of an extremely crowded Eastern Conference playoff race.

As the deadline approaches, multiple Canadiens players are drawing trade interest. One player reportedly generating the most inquiries is veteran forward Jake Evans. According to a recent report from Marco D'Amico of RG, the Habs are fielding many calls on Evans and his availability.

"He’s the perfect guy for a team that thinks they can make a run and needs that dependable bottom-six and PK guy," a source told RG. "I think he will be moved for sure."

According to RG, there are up to eight teams pursuing Evans. Contending teams like the New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, and Los Angeles Kings are among those teams calling. But there are also rebuilding teams like the Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, and Chicago Blackhawks who are interested in his services.

Evans is an incredibly attractive option if you are set to make the 2025 NHL Playoffs. He's the ideal third-line forward on a contending team. Through 57 games with the Habs this year, he has 11 goals, 16 assists, and 27 points. He's just two goals and two points back of his career-best offensive campaigns, and with a playoff-bound roster, he could inch closer to the 20-goal mark.

Evans is also a strong defensive player. He can be a first-unit penalty killer, take draws when needed, and loves to block shots.

Lastly, Evans is in the final season of his current contract. He counts just $1.7 million against the salary cap, and he's owed just a few hundred thousand dollars for the rest of the season. For a team with limited cap space, acquiring Evans is still possible.

Put it all together, and it's easy to see why Evans is generating more and more trade buzz as the deadline approaches. With the growing number of rumors and inquiries, it's only a matter of time before the Canadiens pull the trigger and move on from Jake Evans.

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