Jake Evans on Ivan Demidov’s line: possible, according to Tony Marinaro

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Jake Evans on Ivan Demidov’s line: possible, according to Tony Marinaro
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

When someone as well-connected as Tony Marinaro speaks, people listen.

This afternoon, he tweeted that he wouldn't be surprised to see Martin St-Louis deploy the following trios for tonight's game in Florida.

That makes me think he knows something.

As we can see, the first line remains unchanged in Tony's tweet, as does Kirby Dach's unit, which performed well in Game 3. Brendan Gallagher, who is set to return to action tonight, would be paired with Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson.

That would leave Alex Newhook, Ivan Demidov, and Jake Evans on a line.

I imagine that's pretty much how it was decided—if those are indeed the lines Martin St-Louis is using for Game 5 of the first-round series.

After all, I'm not sure if Evans really deserves a spot in the top six. But if this decision was made “by default,” it makes a bit more sense.

Unless we see the Jake Evans from the fall of 2024 again, Ivan Demidov won't have the most offensive-minded linemate in the world. But if Evans does what Oliver Kapanen did early in the season (getting in the right spots), that could help Demidov rack up points.

Because right now, let's not forget that the big question on the table is how the Canadiens' top forwards can break through at even strength. That could change everything for the rest of the series…

This reminds us that this summer, the Canadiens will need to acquire a top-6 caliber player. With Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky no longer on the team, they'll need reinforcements elsewhere.

The reality is becoming increasingly clear.


In a nutshell

– The guys believe in Brendan Gallagher.

– Wow.

– Must-read.

– We agree: rumors are distractions. But these rumors come from somewhere.

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