Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew here at Last Word On Hockey. The trade deadline is just two days away, and the trading has already commenced. Teams want to get the upper hand on their opponents by getting deals done quickly rather than waiting for Friday’s deadline. In this edition of NHL Rumours, we focus on the rumour surrounding the teams that kicked tires on Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans.
All NHL Rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours: Canadiens Received Calls From Multiple Teams on Evans
Rumour: On TSN’s Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun mentions that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and New Jersey Devils all kicked tires on Jake Evans.
INSIDER TRADING…
– How Hughes’ injury affects NJ’s deadline
– Jets trying to be aggressive
– Frederic deal gives EDM cap flexibility
– Leafs’ other centre options
– Habs’ patience pays off with Evans
– TB poised to strike ahead of deadlineMORE: https://t.co/SDAs8xQX0x pic.twitter.com/0iGvN4nK0q
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) March 4, 2025
Analysis: Jake Evans was one of the most sought-after players up until he signed his new four-year deal on Tuesday. Last week all signs pointed to Evans leaving Montreal. However, with the Canadiens recent surge (being just one point out of the final playoff spot) and a mutual interest between the two parties to get a deal done, they were able to come to terms on a deal that works for both parties.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun mentions that the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, and Winnipeg Jets had all reached out the general manager Kent Hughes to try to acquire his services. However, Hughes buckled down and got the deal done with Evans. This was a brilliant move by the Canadiens as Evans has become such an important player for the organization.
LeBrun also mentions Evans certainly left money on the table taking this extremely cap-friendly deal with the Canadiens. This speaks volumes on what Hughes is doing in Montreal. Players are buying into this team, and they don’t want to leave. The Canadiens already have three of their stars locked up long-term in Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. All of which also signed very cap-friendly deals. As the cap continues to rise, the Canadiens will have more and more room to play with as they try to build this team into a legitimate Stanley Cup Contender.
What This Means
The NHL trade bait board just lost one of the biggest targets, so the teams that were chasing him will now need to look elsewhere to bolster their lineups. The Jets are said to be looking at every option. From scoring forwards to depth forwards to defencemen. Everything is on the table, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. The Leafs, on the other hand, are in a bit of a tight situation, given their cap. For them to make any moves, they need to move players out. This could create some interesting scenarios as we get closer to the deadline. The Devils are in an even more complicated situation as they assess the Jack Hughes injury.
All of this creates some great storylines heading into this year’s trade deadline, which should create one of the most exciting deadlines to date. There could be some major shuffling for some teams.
Main Photo: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The post NHL Rumours: Multiple Teams Kicked Tires on Montreal Canadiens Forward appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.