TSN Insider Believes Canadiens and Evans Will Make It Work

karine hains

Fri, Jan 24, 2025, 11:30 a.m.·2 min read

Speaking on TSN 690 Friday morning, TSN insider Darren Dreger discussed a few topics, including the state of goaltending for the Montreal Canadiens and pending UFA Jake Evans. Dreger believes Montreal will find a way to work with the homegrown center, and like Pierre McGuire, he would be comfortable with a $3M per year price tag.

While Evans recently went through a nine-game pointless streak, he still showed his importance to the team. He came out of said streak at the best of times, getting an assist on Patrik Laine's overtime game-winner against the New York Rangers and scoring his fifth game-winning goal on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

What makes Evans' extension even more critical is that we've had a short glimpse of what Owen Beck can do so far, and he's not ready to take on as big a role on this team as Evans currently plays. In two games, Beck played an average of seven minutes and 35 seconds, didn't take a single shot on goal, landed two hits, and blocked no shots.

There's no denying Beck is a good player, but he'll need a mentor in the NHL, and Evans is exactly the kind of mentor you want for your young NHLers. He takes pride in everything he does, in every little detail of the game. He's become a master of spotting and converting opportunities; his work ethic is second to none.

Of course, the sticking point is likely to be the terms of an actual extension, both in terms of years and money, but Evans wants to stay; that much is obvious. Luckily for the Canadiens, they've got a shrewd negotiator at the table in Kent Hughes.

People tend to forget that he got Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky to sign for less than Nick Suzuki years later. The captain put pen to paper in October 2021, Caufield in June 2023, and Slafkovsky in July 2024. The GM can assess his players and make them buy in at the right price. I would be shocked if he didn't find a way to retain Evans on team-friendly deal, but one that respects the played as well. The sooner the better though as teams will certainly be interested in him.

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