Habs Evans Trade Value Falls Short of First-Round Pick

Jake Evans’ future with the Montreal Canadiens is getting more interesting by the day.

The 27-year-old center has become a key piece of the Habs’ penalty kill unit, working alongside David Savard and Joel Armia to make Montreal’s short-handed game one of their biggest strengths this season.

But there’s a catch – his contract situation.

With the March 7 trade deadline approaching, the Canadiens have some tough decisions to make. They could try to lock Evans up with a new deal, like they did with goalie Samuel Montembeault last year. Or they might have to consider trading him.

The New Jersey Devils are among several teams who’d love to add Evans to their roster if he becomes available.

But what could the Habs get in return? According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun on the latest Radar podcast, it probably won’t be a first-round pick.

That’s actually important context for what might happen next. Montreal isn’t likely to move Evans for just another mid-round draft pick – especially since they’re still in the playoff hunt.

There’s one wild card though: the Eastern Conference is incredibly tight this year. That could drive up the price for reliable players like Evans, simply because there aren’t many good options available on the trade market.

The Canadiens would love to keep their penalty-killing unit intact. But in today’s NHL, nothing’s guaranteed until the ink is dry on a new contract.