Western Conference team aggressively pursuing Montreal Canadiens forward via trade

The National Hockey League's off-season has slowed down considerably when compared to the first couple weeks of July and it's likely to continue being quiet throughout the early part of August.

But some rumours have slowly trickled out including about Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans. According to Kurt Leavins of The Edmonton Journal, Evans could be a potential fit for the Oilers' forward group next season.

According to CapFriendly, the Canadiens have quite the logjam on forward, with 15 players, which will increase to 16 once RFA Jesse Ylonen signs, competing for 12 spots. While there will be some question marks going into training camp, like whether or not to have Juraj Slafkovsky start the year in Laval or if Sean Monahan is fully healthy and ready to go for opening night. But the logjam could likely force someone out of Montreal and that may end up being Jake Evans.

Evans, 27, has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $1.7 million, which is certainly manageable for several teams in the NHL, including the Oilers, but they have their own priorities to focus on at the moment. With only $5.6 million in cap space next season and still needing to get Ryan McLeod and Evan Bouchard under contract, Ken Holland may need to go down the PTO route to address their forward depth.


The Toronto native suited up in 54 games for the Canadiens last season, recording 19 points (two goals, 17 assists), 28 penalty minutes and was a minus-five.

Along with Evans, Kurt Leavins also mentioned that 33-year-old Capitals forward Nic Dowd could also be a fit for the Edmonton Oilers.