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Devils add Luke Evangelista to roster in recent spree. After adding some help for the upcoming season, the New Jersey Devils announced on Tuesday afternoon that they acquired winger Luke Evangelista from Nashville. New Jersey was actually the team we think traded away Luke Evangelista and a conditional 2028 1st acquired from Colorado, and a 2028 2nd for Luke. Look, in their first step to pushing forward, the 24-year-old winger had at career high-point per game clip under the Predators as he was at pace for a 56-point, 12G-44A clip last year playing a career-high 81 games.
An Oakville, Ont native, he was drafted in 2020 as the 42nd overall selection and became a top offensive driver for the Predators, posting career-high numbers across a variety of stats. During last season, Evangelista was second-best on the Nashville Predators in terms of 5v5 expected goals share per 60, and first in terms of Primary Points per 60.
Across all professional levels, he has played 259 games with 143 points. He comes with a reasonable contract at $3M for the final year of his two-year deal, and brings the Devils excellent middle-six options due to a very strong analytical game and elite playmaker passing skills, which perfectly fit coach Sheldon Keefe’s systems. General manager Chris Mac Farland said trading the likable young winger was tough for the team, and noted they received valuable future assets, as well as clearing up some cap space and room to develop prospects in New Jersey. The Devils get Luke Evangelista, a highly touted, proven top-six middle-six winger playing at the height of his career, whose skill set fits perfectly with New Jersey and the speedy, forward-oriented team.
In training camp, Evangelista is expected to immediately fight for a spot among the top six in New Jersey’s forward lineup in order to create some valuable high-upside options with their current plan to make the playoffs.
Source: AP News / Pro Hockey Rumors / NHL Network Coverage
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