Just yesterday, I talked about three potential rental pieces the Red Wings could acquire at the trade deadline. Well, one of those players is no longer an option, as they just signed an extension with their current team.
And in a way, you can’t blame them. No, that player and their team probably won’t enjoy a postseason berth in 2025, but they have gotten to the point where a playoff run in 2026 is more than a possibility.
The player in question? Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens, whose team is coming off of another win and a season sweep over the Buffalo Sabres. Last night’s game saw Evans get shut out in the points column in the Habs 4-3 win over the Sabres, but his physical presence was on display, with three blocked shots and two hits.
Jake Evans is no longer a rental target for the Red Wings
With a cap hit of $1.7 million, Evans was in the final season of his contract with the Canadiens, and his new contract, per Puck Pedia, is a four-year extension that carries a cap hit of $2.85 million.
This one shows that the Canadiens are putting some faith into Evans as a trusted forward who can play productive minutes in the middle six. As of Tuesday, Evans has averaged 15:34 of ice time in 61 games this season. He still has 12 goals and 28 points, but his ability to win faceoffs was on full display last night, when he took 12 out of 16 of them.
Evans will also provide scoring depth for high points producers like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, along with playmakers like Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson. Overall, this move probably didn’t take much thought for the Canadiens. And since they, like the Red Wings, are well in the wild card race, keeping someone like Evans around was a smart move.
With Jake Evans no longer an option, who could the Red Wings turn to?
Ryan Donato was one name that I mentioned, and he’s coming off a two-point game in what was a rare win for the Blackhawks over the Los Angeles Kings. Okay, so I shouldn’t say rare, as the Hawks have taken two in a row, so maybe they finally got something going for them.
Anyway, Donato’s performance now gives him 22 goals and 23 assists, good for 45 points in 59 games. Given Donato’s breakout season, it wouldn’t surprise me if Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson sat back and waited for the best offer to come at the trade deadline before he moved a player of Donato’s caliber.
I also noted Matt Grzelcyk, who’s been quite a playmaker this season at the Penguins blue line. But, to fill in the spot for Evans, why not go bold and talk about a player like Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks?
Boeser is No. 2 on the TSN Staff’s Trade Bait Board, and despite the $.6.65 million cap hit, he would give the Wings one epic points producer, and he would inject more consistency into Steve Yzerman’s bunch.
Through 56 games so far this season, Boeser has a solid 36 points and 18 goals. And if he sticks around on the trade board, he may welcome a change from British Columbia, where the Canucks have seen nothing but dysfunction throughout most of the season.