The real second-line center of the Montreal Canadiens organization is not currently Kirby Dach but rather Jake Evans.

Number 71 is playing very good hockey, and his coach always knows what to expect when he sends him on the ice.

This is a rare quality in a player, and for that reason, several teams will take an interest in him in the coming weeks, especially knowing that he is currently playing the final year of his contract worth only $1.7M.

Caution is still required in the case of Jake Evans

In my opinion, Kent Hughes will have to be very cautious with this case.

We must not repeat a trade like the one involving Artturi Lehkonen.

We have a good player in our ranks; it would be unfortunate to lose Evans only to search for a player of his type in a few years.

That said, the Canadiens’ GM, while he must be cautious, cannot refuse an offer that meets his expectations.

This caution must also apply to all players who could leave the team, such as Matheson, Savard, or even Armia and Dvorak.

When you know this team is sorely lacking in leadership and veterans, trading one of them could be very risky.

The price to keep Jake Evans’ services might be known

Kent Hughes knows all too well that he cannot make a mistake in a trade involving Jake Evans.

Even though he knows that young Owen Beck could soon take Evans’ spot in the lineup.

For this reason, the GM might be tempted to keep him and extend his contract long-term. But what would the price of such an extension be?

According to the excellent Marco D’Amico, Evans could easily demand a long-term contract worth approximately $4 to $4.5 million per year.

This would mean a salary increase of $2.3 to $2.8 million per season.

As you will see from the results of the poll conducted by D’Amico, the trend is that at this price, Kent Hughes should look to find a buyer for Evans before the trade deadline.

 

Trading Evans or not, much like with David Savard, will be a very difficult decision for Kent Hughes.

The one thing that could convince him to act would be the bidding war that is sure to happen around the trade deadline because, yes, there will certainly be one for Evans.