Evans signs 4-year, $11.4 million contract with Canadiens

Jake Evans signed a four-year, $11.4 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. It has an average annual value of $2.85 million.

The 28-year-old center, who is in the final season of a three-year, $5.1 million contract ($1.7 million AAV) he signed Oct. 3, 2021, could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Evans has 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 61 games this season, one shy of his NHL career high he set in 72 games with Montreal in 2021-22. He is also averaging 2:52 of short-handed ice time per game, which is second among NHL forwards, behind Jordan Greenway of the Buffalo Sabres (2:57).

A seventh-round pick (No. 207) by the Canadiens in the 2014 NHL Draft, Evans has 120 points (39 goals, 81 assists) in 329 regular-season games, and three points (one goal, two assists) in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

The Canadiens (30-26-5), who have won five in a row, are one point behind the New York Rangers for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.