The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens are considered a perfect match by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli for a trade involving Jake Evans.

Seravalli published an article Friday in which he played matchmaker for teams leading up to the trade deadline and sought to find what he deemed to be the best connections based on needs and asking prices. The Leafs were included in this exercise and he proposed a trade that would send Evans to Toronto, which goes as follows:

Seravalli’s rationale behind this hypothetical transaction is based on reports that indicate Evans could be moved by the Canadiens before the deadline, as both parties haven’t come close to an extension. Montreal stumbled down the standings in recent weeks and sit six points out of last place in the Eastern Conference going into the 4 Nations break, so there is a good chance they may see themselves as sellers once again.

As for the Leafs, this would be a move that addresses their need at 3C which has been at the top of GM Brad Treliving’s to-do list all season. Treliving mentioned that his ideal add is someone responsible defensively but can also chip in offensively when needed, which is exactly what Evans can provide. He was one-third of the Canadiens’ effective shutdown line that included Joel Armia and Emil Heineman, who were putting up impressive results against the opposition’s top players before the latter went down with an injury. Evans is also having his best season yet with 27 points (11 goals and 16 assists) in 56 games played.

The idea of two rivals completing a trade together certainly seems far-fetched, but keep in mind that it has been seven years since the last time they made a deal which saw Tomas Plekanec don the Blue and White.

The only significant subtraction from their cupboard is the second-round pick, one that will likely fall in the later stages of that round given it originally belonged to the Florida Panthers. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes reportedly told teams that they will not move Evans for anything less than a second-round pick, meaning it all boils down to the additional assets coming back. Giving up Roni Hirvonen may be a tough pill to swallow for some fans given the strides he has taken in his second pro season in North America, but the steps have not been significant enough to warrant consideration of an NHL look soon. Hirvonen is an RFA at season’s end and it is hard to envision he will get a qualifying offer from the Leafs so it may be in their best interest to move him while there is still some value.

Acquiring Evans would go against Treliving’s preference for a centre with term, but fitting him in right now would not be much of a challenge as his cap hit is $1.7 million. They could either ship out a player who makes over a million that they are no longer using or take advantage of their LTIR space should there be further injuries down the line. And given that Evans is from Toronto, there is a good chance that he would be open to inking an extension with his hometown team at a reasonable number.

Of course, the Leafs are not the only team that would be looking at acquiring his services as Evans is reportedly in hot demand. Seravalli noted that the Washington Capitals tried to acquire Evans during the 2024 Draft while TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on January 8 that the New Jersey Devils are among the teams that have expressed interest in the centre.

If the Canadiens are willing to accept a package like the one Seravalli proposed, the Leafs will keep their top prospects in the fold and still have their 2026 first-round pick to dangle for other needs such as defensive reinforcement and secondary scoring. More importantly, they would bring in a hometown kid who would fulfill their needs at 3C while providing solid two-way play and can help them establish a proper shutdown line.

It may not be the centre with term on their contract like Treliving has long envisioned, but ending up with Evans may end up working out for the Leafs should it come to fruition.