Rumor: Evans asking for $4M x 5 years

[Treb]

This is true. Which is why I’d like to keep him. But not at any cost.

Hopefully this is just negotiations.

With the cap going up over 100M, anything 4 or under is pretty easy to stomach.

 

[Yoor]

Honestly, that doesn't bother me. Out of all the UFA's, Evans is the one I'm most interested in extending. Ideally it would be a little less in terms of cap. But the term doesn't bother me at all. And even at 4M, I'm willing to hold onto Evans.

Same here this is an easy decision with the cap going up. He is a great penalty killer and contributes on offense. He is usually very good in the face off circle as well. This guy is only going to get better (even if it's not by a lot). He can also fill in in case of injuries at center. I don't know man...I don't see what the problem is, fits the core age group....

I would just do it $4M/year for a good defensive center that can chip in on offense and score short handed goals here and there...would be curious to see how he matches up with the comparables in the league at that price/position.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Do we think it’s smart management to sign a guy with the intention to trade him halfway through his contract?

Oh he’s worth it! But not really…

"He's worth it but when he's not worth it we'll definitely be able to find a team that thinks he's worth it".

This message brought to you by the Gallagher, Anderson, Savard, and Dvorak contracts.

 

[Milhouse40]

I hear you. And I don't fully disagree with you. However, the arguments I'll make is that you know what you have in Evans. He fits well into your line-up already, so you have that answer. He's someone who can move up in case of injuries. He's great on the dot. He's elite on the PK.

I'll also add that I think next year, he will be the 3C (replacing Dvorak who will either be traded or just let walk). And I believe Beck or Kapanen will be the 4C. Of course down the road, those guys will move ahead of Evans.

Also, with the cap going up significantly over the next few years, some of the top 4th liners will start making that kind of money. And I think Evans is one of those top 4th liners.

We know what we have in Evans, it's a utility player.
If we give Evans 5 years at 4 millions, what your top 9 guys will ask after?
They will be coming at you with 6-7-8 years deals.

Monahan at 5y x 5.5M was too rich.....Evans at 5y at 4M should also be seen that way.

Rarely any utility player in the league gets those kind of terms and when they do, the AVV is very low.
William Carrier got 6 years but at $2M
Brett Howden got 5 years but at $2.75M

If Evans wants that 5 years, the AVV needs to go way dow $3.25M
If Evans wants 4M, then it's a 3 years deal.
I really think the 4 years, around $3.6M is fair for both.

 

[Bombshell11]

Easy sign

Hes part of the team that made it to the finals.

A no brainer

 

[Bring Bak Damphousse]

So his ask is 20M. I would give him his 5 years for his security but at 3.5M for 17.5M.

That's my deal Jake.

That was my feeling as well. He’s free to ask whatever he wants, is he willing to negotiate? 3.5 feels reasonable for a good 4th line center.

 

[Yoor]

I don't think we do need him for more than 2 years. We've got Kapanen and Beck coming in as RHCs, then Hage. We do need a LHC to balance things out a bit but that's hopefully where Florian comes in

I totally understand this point of view makes sense, however good teams keep guys like him around until the incoming prospects forces their hand at which point you have a good trade asset. Youth replaces young vet (say after 2-3 years) and you get a decent return on an asset. Just my 2 cents. He is a know commodity at this point - the kids are not yet.

 

[Redux91]

Needs to come down 500k on salary or a year on term, otherwise, trade.

That's my problem as well

Initially you see 4M x 5 and it's like WHOA no thanks

But then I think about my own offer for him and it's like 3.5M x 4
So not WOOOORLDS apart but..

Clearly one of the sides will have to compromise on 1 of the 2 variables

Unfortunately for ol Jake he's already 28 yrs old which is a shame because it'd be great for our window if he was 26, so 5 years for me is forGET it

But 4 still seems like too much..

If he's OK with 3.75M for 4 years it's the most I'm willing to go honestly

Otherwise get something for him
I like him a LOT, but I'm never afraid to put my business cap on when it comes time
And I trust our GM's

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

With the cap going up over 100M, anything 4 or under is pretty easy to stomach.

4x4 is the most I’d do.

I don’t think he gets 5x4 anywhere else but I could be wrong.

 

[japhi27returns]

Talent-wise he is a 4th liner on a contender, which this team is far from.

Only reason we're even entertaining this contract is because he's riding a shooting percentage double his career average and a 12.3% OISH% which is 34% higher than his career average.

Wrong. He’s be top 9 in Carolina, top 9 in COL, to name a few. His production would likely be higher on a better team.

He has been a consistent 30 point pace 200 foot PK gem for the past 3 years. Which is top 9 in this league.

For some reason fans don’t understand how hard these guys are to find and seem to assume every contending team has this function solved. They don’t, these guys are fairly difficult to acquire because teams don’t trade them. Moving on from him to save 500k or a mil would be a mistake

 

[Whitesnake]

Somehow wouldn't have a problem with years. Don't think Evans is schedule to be affected by too many years. So if it's security he wants, fine. Why you wouldn't find a way to agree on 5 years and 3.75?

 

[Victoire HuGo]

4M in 2026 will be less than 4% of the cap. You guys are making it sound much worse than it is.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Absolutely NOT signing that.

I don't understand how people see what Beck and Kapanen are doing this season, and think it would make sense to sign a soon-to-be 30 year old bottom 6 center to a 5 year contract.

And no, its not a guarantee that we would be able to trade Evans in a couple of years. He will be turning 30 in 1 year, and his skating, which is like his biggest strength, will start to decline.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

I'm in the goodbye camp on this one.

The rational to sign him at that contract has some merit, but if the Habs are looking at the team's future cap structure AND intend to compete before too long, I don't love the idea of having an elite fourth liner get $4m, even with the rising cap and especially for 5 years. Three years would be fine, four is pushing it, five is a no go.

 

[japhi27returns]

Bizarre how folks are claiming he’s a 4th liner. Like all teams stats are posted, 30 ES points and elite PK makes you a top 9 player. He would be CAR second best center. I can start listing a dozen teams, some of which are contenders, where he would play top 9 but this info is all public so please some research first.

 

[First Line]

I want to see Kent Hughes start crying while announcing he signed Jake Evans, that way I will know it’s a good contract

 

[MasterD]

Bye. Was fun.

Sidenote: We should have kept Monahan,

 

[Ezpz]

Over payment on lower tier players has been the downfall of many franchises, Oilers come to mind. The Habs as well for that matter.

The cap is going up 25% in the next two years. 4 mil is really less than we paid Prust or Moen back in the day, actual fourth liners.

 

[HuGort]

Probably trade

 

[calder candidate]

I have no issue with the 4M$, but I rather give 3-4 years…
The contract isn’t a deal breaker but what would be the return in a trade, if we are getting a 1st, bye . if we are getting a 3rd+5th than I would sign him.

 

[montreal]

would be very surprised if he's not traded

 

[le_sean]

He's not that different from Lars Eller who got bigger deals than that relative to the cap and had no issues getting value.

I think you're both underrating Evans' ability and the rise of the cap.

By the time he's getting traded, that deal will be the equivalent of a 3 million deal today, possibly less.

And I could say he’s not that different to Casey Cizikas who took significantly less money throughout his career.

 

[Ozmodiar]

It’s a tough call without knowing the bigger picture. What will the center depth look like with/without him?

If they’re going to bandaid the middle 6 with Newhook, Dach, Beck … then they probably need him.

If they’re going to make a splash in a trade, say Cozens, then the money goes to the top 6, with the bottom 6 leaning on Beck, Kapanen and maybe a signed Dvo for cheap.

The reality is teams are built top-down. Opportunities to build the top 6 (and 4 D) will take priority. The offshoot of this is needing contributing young players.

 

[Chili]

Probably this is his one chance a big payday. He's been full value plus for the Habs so far. They should at minimum make him a very competitive offer. If they do trade him, would like to see a young player in return who will help the Habs in the next year or two (preferably a centre). Another draft pick that may help the team in 3 to 5 years (if ever) would be a step back in return for a player who could help a lot of teams.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

giving that much money on a 4th liner who has career year high on his contract year is lilterally the type of player you avoid to sign. Cap increasing or not giving that kind of money for a guy that play PK is overpaid