Jake Evans is heading into his eighth NHL season with a familiar job description in Montreal: be dependable, do the dirty work, and give the Canadiens a stable middle-six option while the organization waits a little longer on Michael Hage.
With the season 44 days away, Evans stands as one of the more straightforward players to project. He’s in year two of a four-year extension carrying a $2.85 million cap hit, and the Canadiens are expecting him to keep filling a meaningful role. That said, the shape of that role may shift depending on how training camp unfolds.
The 30-year-old center is coming off a season that was a step down offensively from his contract year. He posted 36 points in 82 games in that season, then followed it with 24 points in 68 games last year.
His availability took a hit after he had been ironman-like through the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, before a knee injury in a Dec. 20 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins forced him out for four weeks. The injury came on a knee-on-knee collision with Justin Brazeau.
Earlier that day, the Canadiens had brought in Danault from the Los Angeles Kings.
What Evans has always given Montreal is reliable depth. If he’s spending time in the top six, that usually means the lineup has been pushed around a bit.
He can handle the assignment, and he’d probably tell you his game doesn’t change, but the offense and finish of a true top-six forward simply aren’t part of his profile. He did, however, make a real impact in the postseason, skating with Demidov and Newhook and producing 10 points in 19 games.
Even so, that doesn’t look like the starting point for him this season.
The Canadiens also have Kapanen to consider after his 22-goal rookie season, and he should get every chance to build on that before the fade that so often hits rookies later in the year. That leaves Evans most likely sliding into the third or fourth line, depending on how camp shakes out.
He’ll be in a battle with Danault for the third-line center spot, and the logic points to Evans coming out ahead. He has two more years left on his deal, while Danault is entering the final year of his.
If Montreal gets to the point where it’s truly contending, Evans looks like a fourth-liner, with Kapanen on the third line and Hage eventually taking over the second line. But Hage is expected to stay in the NCAA for another year and is unlikely to arrive until the very end of the season, which means Evans should still have another season to matter in a significant way.
He’ll remain important on the penalty kill, as always. Danault, though, is still the better fit for the end-of-game, lead-protecting shifts with Suzuki, just as he was in the playoffs. That setup gives Martin St-Louis a way to keep both players involved and keep their minutes where they need to be.
Offensively, Evans is tough to peg. His role, if things go as planned, should lean defensive, so big numbers aren’t the point. Still, something around 30 points would be a solid outcome if he stays in the bottom six.
One area where Evans did stand out last season was at the dot, where he won 55.9% of his faceoffs. That’s the kind of number the Canadiens will want him to maintain, or even improve.
As the younger players keep moving forward, his place in the lineup should eventually shrink. But with Hage choosing to return to the NCAA for another year, Evans has at least one more season to keep doing the heavy lifting.
In Other News...
Canadiens Quiet Offseason May Be About To Change Fast
Montreals quiet offseason has started to feel a little less quiet as the Canadiens continue to be mentioned in the same breath as other Atlantic Division clubs that have already made their rosters look stronger. The sense around the team is not that a deal is done, but that general manager Kent Hughes has kept the door open to trade talks while the front office keeps searching for ways to upgrade a top-six forward group that still looks like the clearest need.
A handful of names have surfaced in the rumor mill, including Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj, which is enough to keep speculation humming even without a confirmed transaction. For a Canadiens club that has spent much of the summer waiting for the market to bring the right opportunity, the next move may come quickly if Hughes decides the fit and timing are finally there. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Face A Tough Price If They Push For Arber Xhekaj
Arber Xhekaj keeps showing up in trade chatter for the simple reason that teams looking for defensive help notice what he brings. The Montreal defenseman has the kind of edge and presence that can appeal to a club trying to toughen up its blue line, and Anaheim has been floated as a fit if the Ducks decide to keep pushing for more depth on the back end. For Montreal, though, the broader picture matters just as much as the player itself, because any discussion of moving Xhekaj would have to make sense for a team that still sees value in what he adds.
The obstacle for Anaheim is not just whether Xhekaj is available, but whether the price is worth it while the Ducks juggle cap concerns and the need to get Cutter Gauthier signed. Even in a hypothetical framework, the ask would have to be substantial enough to interest Montreal, which is why these talks tend to circle around prospects and draft capital rather than a simple hockey trade. For now, there is no sign the Canadiens are looking to make Xhekaj available, which leaves this more as a useful reminder of his market value than a deal on the verge of happening. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Delay On Arber Xhekaj And Zach Bolduc Raises Bigger Questions
The Canadiens still have two restricted free agents waiting for contracts in Arber Xhekaj and Zachary Bolduc, and the delay has become more interesting than the usual summer paperwork. Anthony Di Marco noted that there is uncertainty not just about the terms, but also about the timeline, with Montreal still working through how it wants to handle both players as part of its roster planning.
Xhekaj and Bolduc are in very different spots, which is part of what makes the situation worth watching. Xhekajs next step appears tied to how the club values him in the depth chart, while Bolducs case carries more weight because of the way Montreal acquired him and the flexibility he brings. Until the Canadiens sort out those negotiations, there is a small but meaningful question hanging over how the organization sees each player in the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]