Montreal Canadiens centerman Jake Evans is attracting a lot of interest prior to the trade deadline, with a reported whopping eight teams all in the mix.
"I can confirm that they're listening on a lot of players," an NHL executive source told RG recently.
"Whether that's full-out sell mode is to be determined. I still think Kent [Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes] and Jeff [Canadiens executive vice President Jeff Gorton] would love to acquire roster players or players on the verge of making the roster as opposed to picks, but that all depends on what Habs player we're talking about."
Contract talks between the two sides have not made progress
One name generating lots of trade buzz is Jake Evans. The 28-year-old center will be an unrestricted free agent as of July 1, and talks between his camp and the Canadiens are reportedly at an impasse. Here are the teams who are interested per insider Marco D'Amico.
Los Angeles Kings ($3.4M) Seattle Kraken ($4.2M) Chicago Blackhawks ($18.2M) New Jersey Devils ($1.2M) New York Islanders ($2.7M) Tampa Bay Lightning ($3.9M) Minnesota Wild ($8.2M) Nashville Predators ($23.5M)
"If - and I don't think he will be - he's not signed by the Habs by the end of this weekend, he's a goner."
- Renaud Lavoie
While some sources indicate term isn't the problem, the amount of salary remains a challenge. NHL insider Renaud Lavoie says that if the Canadiens haven't signed Evans by next Monday, he'll likely be dealt before the deadline.