Jake Evans And The Rising Cost Of Business
Marco D’Amico Of RG.com: The Montreal Canadiens know they have a commodity in Jake Evans. Now, the problem is should he truly stay or go? Evans, by nature, is a defensive center in the truest sense. Look at some of the metrics and they do not lie. Evans is deployed in the offensive zone so seldomly that he may not exist there.
The OZ% is 28.6 for those scoring at home. His career average is 37.3 which begs the question. How much more effective could he be with a little more of an offensive thrust?
Here is where the surprise comes in. Martin St. Louis and others have said in the past that Evans thrives in this role and his value is underestimated. It seems there is a focus whenever he goes on one of these scoring streaks.
NHL Rumors: Montreal and Boston and more
Evans is up to 23 points in 40 games including 10 goals. His career high in points is 29. One thing is that shooting percentage, which is now 28.6%. The pivot averages less than a shot per game (0.88). Do not expect the goals to continue. Again, Montreal knows what they have.
So, why do the rumors persist? That is simple because teams know the value of Evans.
Another Move For Brian Dumoulin?
Derek Lee Of The Hockey News: The Anaheim Ducks have quite a few players to sell. One of them appears to be defenseman Brian Dumoulin. Dumoulin was just acquired from the Seattle Kraken last summer. If Pat Verbeek can get some value, then it does appear more pieces could be for the taking.
With Frank Vatrano signed, the General Manager has four pending UFA’s left to make a decision on. A $3.15 million cap hit is modest and Dumoulin’s ability to play both sides helps matters.
Sure, the age at 33 is not the greatest. However, the defender is still shifty enough to play in this league. Add in that playoff hockey is a little tighter and teams may be knocking on Anaheim’s door.
NHL Rumors: Other Anaheim Targets
Players like John Gibson and even Trevor Zegras have been mentioned in rumors. Surely, several others have less formally. Even with Anaheim’s proximity to a wildcard spot, the needle is more over to the sell side.
Even with a 10-team no-trade list, Anaheim wants to play their younger defensemen. A move feels more inevitable than anything else.
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