Jake Evans and a first-round pick: Pierre LeBrun doesn’t believe it.

The Jake Evans file is quite exciting right now. Is “exciting” the right term? To some extent, yes.

Obviously, there are questions about whether the Canadiens will be able to retain his services in the long term. After all, the way he plays greatly contributes to the success of the Habs.

And since David Savard, Joel Armia, and he are key elements on the penalty kill, it would be interesting not to lose the core that makes the team strong short-handed this year.

The first aspect to watch for is whether Evans will be traded by the deadline. Several teams, including the Devils, will be in the running if the Habs put him on the market.

Of course, if he signs a contract before March 7 (like Samuel Montembeault did last season), he won’t be going anywhere. But if he doesn’t sign, he could very well be on the trading block.

According to what Pierre LeBrun reported in the latest episode of the Radar podcast, don’t expect a first-round pick to be on the Habs’ table in relation to Evans’s services at the trade deadline.

That’s his opinion for now.

Considering that the Habs wouldn’t exactly benefit from trading him for another ordinary pick and that the team is currently #InTheMix, it’s safe to think a trade is unlikely.

Unless parity in the league – especially in the East, in fact – drives up prices to acquire Jake Evans due to the scarcity of available players on the market?

The second aspect to monitor regarding whether the Habs will keep him long-term is, of course, what contract he might sign with the Canadiens in the coming months.

Whether that’s by March 7, before July 1, or once the market opens, it will be interesting to see how much he wants to stay in Montreal.

Why do I say this? Because according to LeBrun, still in the context of his podcast with Anthony Desaulniers, if he wants to hit the jackpot, it won’t happen in Montreal.

He says the Habs have a specific framework for signing Evans and they won’t deviate from it.

Note: LeBrun didn’t say Evans wanted to hit the jackpot. He said that if he did want to hit the jackpot, it would have to happen in the free-agent market.

But I have a feeling he genuinely wants to sign in Montreal at the right price… and that the Habs want to keep him.

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