Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans is day-to-day after leaving tonight’s game with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Dominique Ducharme announced that he would not be out long-term, but the exact length of the injury is unknown at this time. Evans skated for just under eight minutes in Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs before leaving the ice.
Canadiens Jake Evans Day-to-Day With Injury
Jake Evans is a former seventh-round draft pick of Montreal in 2014. This season the 24-year-old saw an increased role within the NHL lineup. In 47 games this season, the Toronto, Ontario native scored three goals and 10 assists for a career-high 13 points. Last season at the NHL level, Evans played 13 games and only scored two goals and an assist. The forward is known for his defensive capabilities as well as his decent two-way style of play.
Evans spent his first two professional seasons playing for the Laval Rockets of the American Hockey League. in 118 games in the AHL, Evans has scored 27 goals and 56 assists for 83 total points. Before making the transition to professional hockey, the 24-year-old played four years of NCAA division one hockey for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In his time playing in South Bend, Indiana, Evans produced great offensive numbers while developing his two-way game. Over the course of 158 collegiate games, Evans scored 41 goals and 97 assists for 138 collegiate points.
What This Means for the Future
Evans didn’t take up too much ice time on the Canadiens anyways. According to Ducharme, the injury doesn’t look to be all too serious either, so his time away from the lineup won’t be too long. In the meantime this could make room for a few key guys that many fans believed should be getting more playoff ice time. For example rookie skaters, and Wisconsin Badger standout, Cole Caufield might get the nod to take his place for Game 2. He would add a nice scoring presence to the lineup in relief of Evans. Similarly the Canadiens could call up former first-round pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi to fill his place as well. Given that Evans was being used at centre, it is more likely that Kotkaniemi gets the role.
Main Photo: MONTREAL, QC – APRIL 28: Jake Evans #71 of the Montreal Canadiens skates the puck against John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at the Bell Centre on April 28, 2021, in Montreal, Canada. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
