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Habs Daily: Evans Set To Be Traded, Beck & Mailloux Reassigned

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Montreal Canadiens Evans

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on the weekend.

Montreal Canadiens News

We can’t confirm that Jake Evans will be traded between now and February 22, which is when the Canadiens are back in action following the 4 Nations Faceoff, but it seems quite likely.

Pierre LeBrun suggested the team and the player are quite far apart in initial contract extension negotiations, which is a clear sign the Canadiens are interested in re-signing him, but only to a certain extent.

To put a fine point on the situation, Evans essentially said his goodbyes following Sunday’s frustrating 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Again, we’re not 100 percent certain a trade is going to take place, but there are very few signs that would lead you to believe Evans is going to stay in Montreal.

As we discussed earlier in the season, despite Evans’ encouraging season, the Habs simply can’t afford to pay a fourth-line player third-line money. That’s not to say Evans is not appreciated, or that he doesn’t absorb important ice time, particularly on the penalty kill, but Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has to be realistic, which means removing emotion from the equation. Evans is enjoying a one-time shooting percentage surge, is a pending unrestricted free agent, and will  be sought after by many teams looking to bolster their playoff lineups.

Take this with a grain of salt, but I heard the Habs were looking for a first-round pick in exchange for Evans, and that NHL teams were ready to accept the price, especially those with late picks, however, that information came to me during Evans’ hot streak. His market price has surely gone down since. [Canadiens Analysis: The Jake Evans Trade and Contract Situation]

The Habs will be off for a couple of weeks as some of their players attend the 4 Nations Faceoff. It’s a shame both Patrik Laine and Joel Armia are going, at least from a Habs perspective, as they could probably use some time off. Fortunately, neither Nick Suzuki nor Cole Caufield are suiting up for their respective countries, which mean they’ll receive a much-needed break.

Speaking of the break, both Logan Mailloux and Owen Beck were re-assigned to the AHL. The Rocket will play six games in the next two weeks, a perfect situation for young players looking to build on their momentum. Beck, in particular, looked great during his call-up. Not only did he lead the Habs in CF% this season, he also managed to push Laine to well above 50 percent shot share versus the Lightning.

While some wanted to see Jakub Dobes sent back to the Rocket, at this point you have to concern yourself with his confidence. Besides, he’s the team’s backup, he’s not the Rocket’s starter anymore.

The Montreal Canadiens played well on Sunday, but big mistakes from the youngest players in the lineup ended up costing them a chance to win. The 5-3 loss featured two significant events. First off, Juraj Slafkovsky was demoted to the bottom-six, where he found a renewed sense of responsibility, while Dobes was pulled for the first time of his NHL career. [Habs Highlights: Juraj Slafkovsky Demoted, Jakub Dobes Pulled]

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