Jake Evans confirms it: his moving boxes were ready

In short, either Jake Evans signed, or he was leaving. Right?

This is the rumor going around right now about the Canadiens’ center player, who agreed to sign for less than his worth. At $2.85 million per year for four years, he clearly wanted to stay in the city.

And today, he’s happy.

♥︎ pic.twitter.com/X9bHAYm97H

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 5, 2025

But he clearly didn’t always think he was going to stay. His heart spoke when he chose to take a pay cut to continue what the CH is building, but he still came close to leaving.

To what extent?

This morning, my colleague Maxime Truman wrote an article based on information obtained and shared on the Stanley25 podcast, stating that Jake Evans had warned his landlord (Joël Bouchard) that the apartment he lives in would need a new tenant.

And there, the main person involved, who has talked publicly about his contract, said things that go in that direction. How? By saying that he and his wife were so sure they were leaving that they had already packed their boxes.

Well, well…@jeantrudel83 @DLCoulisses https://t.co/stD3AJUiq7

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) March 5, 2025

Evans, who was talking about the Canadiens in the past tense last month, is happy to no longer have to rent and can finally buy something in the city.

The fact that he signed a four-year contract (even if it doesn’t have a no-trade clause) means that he now has the luxury of settling in the city for good in the coming years.

extension

I’m looking forward to seeing what Evans will look like on the ice for the rest of the season. After all, he’s clearly confident right now and no longer has the weight of his contract on his shoulders.

Now, he can just help the CH try to make the playoffs… by scoring more often than twice since the start of the 2025 season.