Player Discussion Jake Evans (Part II)

Habs Halifax

Loyal Habs Fan
Jul 11, 2016
68,635
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Watched him closely last night... has a good shot and some offensive skills for a bottom 6F. However, he needs to improve skating, situational awareness, and to add some muscle so he can handle contract more.

Evans has developed nicely with the Habs and I wonder how much more he can grow with more NHL experience while he is in his age 25-30 years. Ideally, he is in a 4C role like Cizikas with the Islanders.
 
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Goalfield22

In Bilbo We Trust
Aug 31, 2021
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His goal tonight is why some of us think he has offensive potential. This isn't the first time he's scored a goal like that.

Put him on the wing with two offensive players and he may be able to produce. But I don't think it would be there for him at center. At center he's a 4c, and a good top 9 injury replacement. On the wing, he can play on an offensive line.

This is how I see both him and Poehling, actually.

Evans: 4C or top 9 RW
Poehling: bottom 6 C or top 6 LW (potential)
 

26Mats

Registered User
Jun 23, 2018
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This is how I see both him and Poehling, actually.

Evans: 4C or top 9 RW
Poehling: bottom 6 C or top 6 LW (potential)

I really hope we're patient with Poehling. Let him play the whole year in Laval, then start him out on the wing next year. I mean if somehow he's ready at C great. But he hasn't shown the awareness to be a C. The Danault loss was huge. Anyways if it leads to a full rebuild with a new GM, well that's actually ideal anyways. Gotta love these accidental tank moves, like nickle and diming Radulov and Markov led to us getting a top 3 pick...
 
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goforit

Registered User
Apr 14, 2010
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Montreal
Watched him closely last night... has a good shot and some offensive skills for a bottom 6F. However, he needs to improve skating, situational awareness, and to add some muscle so he can handle contract more.

Evans has developed nicely with the Habs and I wonder how much more he can grow with more NHL experience while he is in his age 25-30 years. Ideally, he is in a 4C role like Cizikas with the Islanders.

Evans' skating look more than fine to me.
 

Miller Time

Registered User
Sep 16, 2004
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Great to see him picking it up...

Effort & attitude of a champion, if he can bring consistent productivity, he'll be a gem middle 6 player for us for years!
 
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417

BBQ Chicken Alert!
Feb 20, 2003
51,426
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He's got more offensive ability than people give him credit for IMO.

Still would like to see him get stronger, though I guess at his age, he probably doesn't have the physiology for it.

I'd also like to see him get more consistent at winning PK draws, seems he looses every one of them.
 

swimmer77

More PIM's than Points
Jun 22, 2010
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IDK..........his line was asked to be a shutdown line last night and they were pretty efficient at that and creating there own scoring opportunities. I see Jake developing into a better playmaker offensively in a shutdown role than you know who. Stay healthy, Jake.
 
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ChesterNimitz

governed by the principle of calculated risk
Jul 4, 2002
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IDK..........his line was asked to be a shutdown line last night and they were pretty efficient at that and creating there own scoring opportunities. I see Jake developing into a better playmaker offensively in a shutdown role than you know who. Stay healthy, Jake.
Health is definitely an issue. Evans reminds me of Ralph Backstrom: good speed; industrious player who was responsible defensively and could chip in offensively on occasion. Back in the early to mid 60s, Backstrom was the perfect 3c to Beliveau and Richard.
 

angusyoung

Back in the day, I was always horny!
Aug 17, 2014
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Health is definitely an issue. Evans reminds me of Ralph Backstrom: good speed; industrious player who was responsible defensively and could chip in offensively on occasion. Back in the early to mid 60s, Backstrom was the perfect 3c to Beliveau and Richard.

Backstrom consistently put up points, and a fair amount,Evans has yet to do so.
 

ChesterNimitz

governed by the principle of calculated risk
Jul 4, 2002
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Backstrom consistently put up points, and a fair amount,Evans has yet to do so.
Backstrom didn't have his 'breakout' offensive season until 61/62 when he was 25 years old. Hockey was much different game in the early 60s. Teams generally played only 3 lines. Backstrom was also surrounded with a much better supporting cast. Let's see how Evans develops. In any event, all I said is that Evans reminds me of Backstrom's style of play, not that he will ever achieve Backstrom scoring levels. Another player Evans reminds me of is Pat Hughes, whose skating ability allowed him to carve out a pretty successful career in the NHL in the early 1980s. As I keep saying: if you can skate, anything is possible. If you can't, nothing is. Evans, like Backstrom and Hughes, can skate. So anything is possible. In this dark era, let's all be optimistic about one of our few players that has promise.
 

Estimated_Prophet

Registered User
Mar 28, 2003
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Backstrom didn't have his 'breakout' offensive season until 61/62 when he was 25 years old. Hockey was much different game in the early 60s. Teams generally played only 3 lines. Backstrom was also surrounded with a much better supporting cast. Let's see how Evans develops. In any event, all I said is that Evans reminds me of Backstrom's style of play, not that he will ever achieve Backstrom scoring levels. Another player Evans reminds me of is Pat Hughes, whose skating ability allowed him to carve out a pretty successful career in the NHL in the early 1980s. As I keep saying: if you can skate, anything is possible. If you can't, nothing is. Evans, like Backstrom and Hughes, can skate. So anything is possible. In this dark era, let's all be optimistic about one of our few players that has promise.

A smaller version of Craig Conroy also comes to mind and he didn't fully break out until he was 30.
 

angusyoung

Back in the day, I was always horny!
Aug 17, 2014
11,697
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Heirendaar
Backstrom didn't have his 'breakout' offensive season until 61/62 when he was 25 years old. Hockey was much different game in the early 60s. Teams generally played only 3 lines. Backstrom was also surrounded with a much better supporting cast. Let's see how Evans develops. In any event, all I said is that Evans reminds me of Backstrom's style of play, not that he will ever achieve Backstrom scoring levels. Another player Evans reminds me of is Pat Hughes, whose skating ability allowed him to carve out a pretty successful career in the NHL in the early 1980s. As I keep saying: if you can skate, anything is possible. If you can't, nothing is. Evans, like Backstrom and Hughes, can skate. So anything is possible. In this dark era, let's all be optimistic about one of our few players that has promise.

Certainly can not compare eras, a foolish futile exercise in doing so. Ralph may have broken out that season,but he was putting up very decent numbers from the get go. Evans is looking very good,hope he can continue and hopefully contribute a bit more offensively.
 

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