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The Wild really needs Jake Evans and Joel Armia

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Feb 28, 2025 12:21 PM ET

Will Jake Evans sign a contract extension with the Canadiens? Will he be traded? Will he be traded along with Joel Armia to increase the return value?

The answer from here… a week.

It doesn’t seem like we’re seven days away from the deadline due to the impact the Four Nations Tournament had on the market, but we’re almost there.

We often come back to Jake Evans, but he’s the most visible player for the Canadiens right now.

He really has the potential to change a team’s power play disadvantage. Especially if he goes somewhere with Joel Armia, his teammate this season with the Canadiens.

Yesterday, Pierre LeBrun said that Kent Hughes won’t let his players go for just anything since he doesn’t want to just “trade guys for the sake of trading” by March 7th.

We know there are five teams whose names come up: the Jets, the Maple Leafs, the Oilers, the Devils, and the Wild.

Pierre LeBrun specifically mentioned the Minnesota Wild as a team to watch regarding Jake Evans & Joel Armia.

They recently placed Joel Eriksson Ek on injury reserve. They’re also 30th on the penalty kill. https://t.co/m0eIabm3GW

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 27, 2025

But what’s interesting is that among these teams, the Wild is a name that comes up a bit more. Pierre LeBrun is asking us to keep an eye on the team regarding the fourth-line players.

And here we are, after the Wild’s game yesterday, Michael Russo, who covers the team’s activities, says the Minnesota team needs to get Evans and Armia out of Montreal because their power play is a disaster.

It’s a no-brainer for Guerin to go after an Armia/Evans PK tag-team at this point. Like enough is enough with this penalty kill.

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 28, 2025

We must not forget that the team is 30th in the NHL in power play and that Joel Eriksson Ek is injured. These are elements that can convince Bill Guerin to do everything to bring the Montreal guys to town for the playoffs.

Now it remains to be seen if the Wild’s GM is willing to pay what’s needed to the Canadiens…

In quick succession

– What’s happening at the CF Montreal camp?

We just spoke with Laurent Courtois. #CFMTL

– Piette and Campbell each have a small post-game issue. The preseason has been difficult (different temperatures, different surfaces, etc.) and there has been a lot of traveling. The coach doesn’t sound like someone…

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) February 28, 2025

#CFMTL : Caden Clark just told us he’s excited to play tomorrow’s game in Minnesota, in front of friends and family. We can also feel that he’d like to prove to his old team that they made a mistake by trading him (quickly and for very little)…

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) February 28, 2025

– To be continued.