The Montreal Canadiens signed Jake Evans to a four-year contract, likely removing him from the NHL trade market.

The Canadiens are in a holding pattern when it comes to their strategy at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline after signing Jake Evans.

Jake Evans signed a four-year, $11.4 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. The contract begins next season and has an average annual value of $2.85 million. The 28-year-old center is in last of a three-year, $5.1 million contract ($1.7 million AAV) he signed Oct. 3, 2021. Evans could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

The Canadiens announced they’ve signed center Jake Evans to a four-year extension, likely taking him off the trade market. It’s worth a total of $11.4M with a cap hit of $2.85M. The contract doesn’t include trade protection, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.

The Montreal Canadiens took one of their most valuable trade targets off the market by signing centre Jake Evans to a four-year contract worth $2.85 million per season, the team announced Tuesday. Evans,

There was a fairly surprising announcement on Tuesday afternoon, as the Montreal Canadiens and Jake Evans agreed to a four-year contract extension. The deal runs until 2028-29, and carries a $2.85 million annual average value (AAV).