Jake Evans looked like a player on the rise for the Montreal Canadiens after he posted a career-high 13 goals and 36 points in 2024-25, good for a stellar 16.3 shooting percentage. Evans wasn't going to be a top-liner, and some might not have considered him a true top-six forward. But he more than showed he could provide depth scoring for what looked like a deep Canadiens forward unit.
Unfortunately for Evans, he has given Canadiens fans zero hope that he could be a surefire depth scorer long-term in Quebec. Evans has struggled this season, with just four goals and eight points through 28 games. His minus-15 rating is by far a career-worst, and has been on the ice for way too many goals at even strength, with 25 so far in this young season.
The Canadiens have struggled to find consistency following a monster 9-3-0 start that catapulted them to first place in the Atlantic Division. Evans even struggled during those good times, posting just two points, one goal, and a minus-6 rating.
Jake Evans has an opportunity to step up and help the Montreal Canadiens
While Evans has been terrible to start off the season, he's still in a position to help the Canadiens turn around what has become an up-and-down 2025-26 campaign. Since that red-hot 9-3-0 start, the Habs are just 6-7-3, so they need seasoned veterans like Evans to step up.
If recent history is anything to go by, Evans was at his best in 2024-25 between Games 29 and 38, when he put up nine points, five goals, and a plus-7. The Canadiens also went 6-4 in that span, setting the stage for what ultimately became a successful season.
Still, things are different in Montreal, as the team has collapsed defensively while nobody lining up in the crease seems to be interested in stopping pucks. This has forced defensive forwards like Evans to change their games, hoping to stop opposing teams from putting up four-plus goals per game on the Canadiens. But Evans has shown he can step up and provide offense, even with the Canadiens facing challenges defensively.
Jake Evans isn't the only Canadiens player who must step up and provide more scoring
Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen are producing a solid number of points, so it falls to proven scorers in the middle and bottom six to provide supplementary scoring. Evans is just one name, however, and another is Brendan Gallagher.
Gallagher has just one goal and 10 points through 28 games this year after he ended 2024-25 with 21 goals. Zack Bolduc is another name. After scoring four goals in his first eight games with the Canadiens, Bolduc has just two goals in his last 20 outings.
While the Canadiens need more from Evans, they also need more production from a few other forwards in the lineup. Still, with Evans averaging 15:32 of ice time per game, the Canadiens are counting on him more than Gallagher, Bolduc, and even high-potential youngsters like Demidov and Kapanen. That said, Evans has no choice but to step up and play better hockey.