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Canadiens agree to $11.4 million contract extension with Jake Evans before trade deadline

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Colin Gallant | Last updated Mar 4, 2025 2:18 PM ET

Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans is officially off the market. Despite seeing his name swirling in trade rumors throughout the 2024-25 NHL campaign, the 28-year-old signed a four-year, $11.4 million contract extension to remain in Quebec for the foreseeable future, general manager Kent Hughes announced on Tuesday.

The new deal will pay the Toronto, Ontario native an average annual salary of $2.85 million.

“Habs and Jake Evans’ camp renewed talks on Sunday after an extended period without,” The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday. “I think Montreal stuck pretty well to its position more or less. So Evans, in the end, made the call he didn’t want to leave.”

Evans has been effective if unspectacular for the Habs this season, managing 12 goals and 28 points while mainly playing in a bottom-six role. He ranks second among NHL forwards in shorthanded ice time, averaging 2:52 per game, per the official release. He’s also tied for third league-wide with three shorthanded tallies.

Since debuting in the National in 2019-20, Evans has played 329 games for Montreal, chipping in 39 goals and 120 points. He’s also added six game-winning goals, five shorthanded goals and 113 penalty minutes, per the release.

He’s also suited up for 13 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, managing a goal and three points. A former seventh-round pick (207th overall) by the Canadiens in the 2014 NHL Draft, Evans can now focus on helping his team make a playoff push down the stretch.

Canadiens have surged back into Eastern Conference playoff race

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson (8) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game winning goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the overtime period at the Bell Centre. Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

After an excellent end to 2024, the Canadiens struggled mightily from the end of January until mid-February. Montreal lost eight times in nine tries during that span, fading away from the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference.

But after defeating the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime on Monday night, the Habs have racked off five consecutive wins for the first time in 2024-25. And with that, Marty St. Louis’ club is up to 30-26-5 and just a single point back of the final playoff berth in the conference.

It’s still going to take a herculean effort to get in; the Detroit Red Wings (66 points), New York Rangers (66 points), Ottawa Senators (65 points) and Boston Bruins (64 points) are all still in the race. And the way the Columbus Blue Jackets are playing, there might only be one spot open for a couple of playoff hopefuls.

That being said, the Canadiens have been one of the league’s best teams after the 13-day 4 Nations Face-Off break, and the re-signing of Evans shows that they aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.

The next week-and-a-half will be telling; Montreal heads out on a four-game road trip that will take them through Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle between now and March 12.

Amid the current surge, it’ll be interesting to see if general manager Kent Hughes makes a hockey trade or two between now and Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline in the team’s quest to advance to the dance for the first time since marching to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020-21.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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