Countdown to TradeCentre: Habs getting calls on Evans

The NHL's March 7 Trade Deadline is approaching, and teams are making decisions on whether to buy or sell, and on which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out today's trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

Habs getting calls on Evans

The Montreal Canadiens are getting no shortage of called on forward Jake Evans, reports TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun.

Lebron notes that Montreal's post 4 Nations Face-Off break resurgence makes this an interesting case. 

"As mentioned before, Habs have told teams they are okay keeping Evans if asking price isn't met. Could go either way," LeBrun wrote Sunday afternoon in a post on X.

Evans, a 28-year-old pending unrestricted free agent, is having one of the best seasons of his career. The Toronto native has 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in 60 games, one point below his previous high of 29 in 72 games during the 2021-22 season.

Evans is in the final year of a three-year, $5.1 million deal that pays him $1.7 million annually. He had an empty-net goal in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Sabres in Buffalo.

Montreal enters play Sunday 29-26-5 for 63 points, three points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Panthers not done?

The Florida Panthers made a big splash Saturday night by acquiring defenceman Seth Jones and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional first-round selection in next year's draft.

As part of the deal, the Blackhawks are retaining 25 per cent of Jones' salary, which works out to about $2.5 million annually through the 2029-30 season. Florida will be on the hook for the remaining $7 million.

But according to TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston, the Panthers might not be done even after adding Jones.

Florida placed forward Matthew Tkachuk on the long-term injured reserve list Sunday and according to Johnston, his injury could last the duration of the regular season. Tkachuk represented the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off but injured his groin during the tournament.

Tkachuk missing the rest of the season would give Florida even more cap space to work with ahead of Friday's deadline and could help the defending Stanley Cup champions stay active in the market.

According to PuckPedia, general manager Bill Zito has about $8.7 million in cap space to work with even after the addition of Jones. They also recalled goaltender Chris Driedger on Sunday.

Florida enters play Sunday atop the Atlantic Division with 77 points. 

Sens looking for help up front?

It’s been a long time since the Ottawa Senators were this close to a playoff spot this late in the season.

The Sens enter play Sunday just two points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets with a game in hand for the East’s final wild-card ticket.

According to The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie, president and general manager Steve Staios is working the phones leading up to the dealing and is targeting depth up front.

McKenzie notes Ottawa doesn’t have cap room to work with and may not be willing to part with a first-round pick considering they are expected to surrender one in 2025 or 2026 due to the mishandling of the Evgenii Dadonov trade in 2021. Both the cap situation and upcoming forfeiture of a first-rounder might make a big swing difficult for Ottawa, but McKenzie adds the Sens may not be able to afford to do nothing ahead of Friday’s deadline.

McKenzie reports Staios is targeting a depth forward such as Brandon Tanev of the Seattle Kraken, Ryan Donato of the Chicago Blackhawks, Trent Frederic of the Boston Bruins as well as Gustav Nyquist, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild soon after McKenzie's story in The Athletic was posted.

“The Senators aren’t above adding a defenceman, too, but they’ll likely prioritize acquiring a forward,” McKenzie added.

The Sens got some internal reinforcements in Saturday’s 5-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks as Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Shane Pinto all made their returns from their respective injuries.

Treliving talks Leafs plans

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving met with reporters Saturday and was asked about the upcoming trade deadline.

Treliving indicated that action this year has been a bit slower than in years past but confirmed the Leafs are looking at several ways of upgrading their roster.

“If I had to sort of categorize it, I think it’s a little bit – hey it’s busy, you’re talking to lots of guys – I would say in comparison to years past it’s a little bit slower just because I think there’s a lot more teams, you know, that maybe haven’t declared yet as in years past. So there’s lots of conversations going on. But yeah, we’d certainly like to help ourselves, we’ll see how things play out,” Treliving said.

He said the team wasn’t focused on a specific player or section of the roster.

“We’re looking at all sorts of areas. We went out and signed a bunch of defencemen, I don’t think you can ever have too many. So if there’s something there that makes sense to us. You’re juggling again, you know, that it’s all got to fit in terms of the cap and it’s also got to fit in terms of what the prices are and what the cost is. So there’s certainly some areas that we’d like to shore up, it’s just what’s the cost, what’s the contract, how do you fit it in, and ultimately what asset’s got to go out the door?”

Toronto enters play Sunday firmly in a playoff spot sitting one point back of the Florida Panthers for the Atlantic Division lead with two games in hand. When asked if he feels the team could benefit from a big swing given the tight race for seeding within the conference, Treliving once again kept things open ended.

“The East has got the reigning Stanley Cup champion, it’s got good teams. I think you always have to base it on where you think your team is at. And it’s not to me about taking big swings it’s where do you think you can help your team the most? Sometimes, historically, look back – and this isn’t saying we’re doing this or we’re not doing that – but historically look back on these attention-grabbing deadline deals, really look back at how many have really paid dividends, right?” he said.

“So ultimately it’s more of looking at your team. Where are areas that you think you can improve upon? Are there players out there that can make a difference and move the needle. And sometimes moving the needle is a small, you know, maybe it’s not the sexy headline-grabbing move. But where are areas that you can shore up, and ultimately what’s available and what’s the cost, and how does it all fit in? So it’s the long way of saying I like our team, I’d like to see if we can make it better by Friday than it is today.”

Smith on the move?

The New York Rangers are holding forward Reilly Smith out of tonight's game against the Nashville Predators due to trade-related reasons, according to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun.

The pending unrestricted free-agent in a candidate to be dealt before Friday's trade deadline.

Smith, 33, has 10 goals and 29 points in 58 games this season, his first with New York. In 898 career games, Smith has 223 goals and 542 points with the Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and Dallas Stars. He was originally selected 69th overall by the Stars in the 2009 NHL Draft.