Jake Evans: his days in Montreal may be numbered

The CH’s next training camp will be exciting.

Because on offense, there are a number of guys who can play in the NHL… And on defense, there are a number of guys who can play in the NHL.

Seriously, forwards and defensemen will have to fight for their positions. We understand that some of them already have a guaranteed place in the line-up for the very first game of the season, to be played on October 11 in Toronto…

But for others, the task doesn’t necessarily look easy. Jake Evans’ name is currently in the second group.

Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Sean Monahan, Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak and maybe even Owen Beck. Dach, Monahan and Newhook all played on the wing to some degree last season, but that’s still congestion at center.

No one’s going to complain, though, because in recent years, the CH has always been said to lack depth at this position.

It’s all very well to move a center to the wing… But the Habs also have wingers in their lineup. Cole Caufield, Josh Anderson, Juraj Slafkovsky, Brendan Gallagher, Mike Hoffman, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard… You get my point. He’s running out of room.

Evans has established himself as an NHL player, and no one can argue with that. The question to ask, though…

In this #GoHabsGo Mailbag:

– Montreal Canadiens players cast as Sopranos characters.
– A long-term projected lineup including the defensemen in the organization.
– Heineman’s potential.
– Trade options.
– The Laval Rocket next season.

And muchmore⬇️ https://t.co/Flclp3uED8

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) July 21, 2023

Not to take anything away from the player, but Jake Evans isn’t necessarily indispensable to the CH’s success. He’s “okay” in the faceoff circle, he can produce offensively at times… But he’s mostly inconsistent in his output.

There are players like him all over the NHL. It’s boring, but that’s the way it is.

It’s going to depend on his performance at the next training camp. If the youngsters (Dach, Newhook, Beck) prove that they deserve their place at center in the Habs’ lineup, Kent Hughes will have some decisions to make.

At the end of the day, the Habs shouldn’t deprive themselves of developing a high-potential youngster just to spot Jake Evans. Yes, the Habs have higher expectations for next year…

But it will still be a year of development, and one in which we’ll want to follow the individual progress of our prospects.

All this to say that there really is a world out there where Jake Evans’ days in Montreal are numbered. As a reminder, the 27-year-old is paid $1.7 million per year until the end of the 2025-2026 season.

Breaking news

– This is normal.

– Sick.

260 days after suffering a broken leg in the 2022 MLS Cup Final, Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau made his return to the pitch with LAFC II. 👏

📸: @LAFC pic.twitter.com/VOuVCyE9H3

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 24, 2023

– At least he’s producing offensively.

– Just this?