The Montreal Canadiens have leadership in the room, but Jake Evans is the kind of player who can slip through the cracks if you’re not paying attention.
He’s not Brendan Gallagher in the box-score sense. Evans has never put up a 30-goal season, and he never will. But in the way he carries himself, in the way he works, and in the way he puts the team first, he has become the Canadiens’ new Gallagher.
Evans brings that veteran presence without needing a spotlight. He’s willing to take punishment for the cause, and he sets the tone by example.
Like Gallagher, he doesn’t arrive first for practice, but once he’s out there, every drill gets the same full-speed treatment as if it were happening in a game. That kind of approach makes sense, given that he was one of Gallagher’s closest friends in Montreal.
His job description isn’t flashy. He centers the fourth line, kills penalties, and handles the kind of minutes that rarely get much attention. Still, he’s dependable, and with Nick Suzuki injured, his workload has climbed.
Before Suzuki went down, Evans was rarely getting more than 14 minutes a night. In the four games since, his ice time has jumped to 17:12, 18:06, 15:24, and 16:57, and he’s been trusted with all sorts of key assignments.
That trust showed up in the final minute of the Canadiens’ win over the Dallas Stars. With the Stars skating six men, Evans and Phillip Danault were out there protecting the lead.
Then they found themselves on a breakaway with an empty net in front of them. Evans had the puck and could have taken the goal himself, but he chose to feed Danault instead, giving him a chance to score his first of the season.
It was a selfless play, and the kind of detail that says a lot about a player. Danault had taken a while to get going last season, and Evans clearly didn’t want to leave him with that same burden two years in a row. That’s the sort of leadership Evans brings - quiet, steady, and team-first.
In Other News...
Brendan Gallagher Is Suddenly Under Pressure Montreal Fans Never Expected
Brendan Gallaghers start with Vancouver has been a jolt for anyone who expected the veteran winger to settle quickly into a familiar role. The 34-year-old arrived in June and instead has found himself fighting for every shift, with his usage shrinking and his place in the lineup suddenly becoming a topic of debate among fans who are used to seeing him as a dependable presence.
The frustration has spilled into calls for the Canucks to make a bigger move with him, whether that means a trip to the press box or something more drastic. Gallagher, for his part, is not entertaining retirement and says he still wants to prove he can help this team, but the early-season uncertainty around his role has made this a far more uncomfortable story than anyone around the club likely anticipated. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Dachs Late Scratch Puts Canadiens Fans On Edge Again
Illness forced another lineup shuffle for the Canadiens, and Kirby Dach was the latest regular to get pulled from the mix just before game time. Montreal had to adjust on the fly, with Owen Beck stepping into the fourth-line role as the club tried to keep its forward group intact during a stretch where every available body matters.
The good news for the Canadiens is that Dachs absence is not expected to linger, with a return on the horizon as soon as Tuesday against the Jets. For a team already managing the usual wear and tear of the season, even a short-term scratch can feel like a reminder of how quickly the depth chart can change, especially when the margins are this thin. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Loom In Dylan Larkin Trade Drama
Dylan Larkins situation has quickly become one of the most watched trade stories around the league, and Montreal has now been mentioned as a possible late entry into the mix. The Red Wings captain has removed himself from the lineup while he pursues a move out of Detroit, and several teams have already been tied to the discussions, including Minnesota, Washington, New Jersey and Carolina.
For the Canadiens, the intrigue is obvious because a player of Larkins caliber would reshape the conversation around their roster in a hurry. The idea gaining traction is that Montreal could help move the process along if it becomes part of the trade picture, but for now it remains only speculation. The situation is still fluid, and the next step depends on how the market develops from here. [Read more 🡒]