Canadiens: The Forgotten Pending UFA As we get nearer to the March 7 trade deadline, there will be a lot of chatter about pending unrestricted free agents. There’s already been a lot said and written about Jake Evans, Joel Armia, and David Savard. Very little has been written about Christian Dvorak, however.

The Montreal Canadiens have one game, against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, before the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline, and they are legitimately in the playoff race. Locking up Jake Evans for four more years says a lot about the Canadiens’ plans moving forward.

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

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

Veteran Habs centre was willing to take less money in exchange for stability for him and his wife and the ability to stay in Montreal.