Evans had a lot of money-related thoughts running through his head in his contract year, but ultimately, he and his wife chose happiness.

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.

Multiple sources report that Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans was a highly sought-after asset on the trade market. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli even had him in fourth place on his list of 45 trade targets,