Devils acquire winger Evangelista from Predators for conditional picks
The New Jersey Devils acquired 24-year-old winger Luke Evangelista from Nashville on September 1 in exchange for a conditional 2028 first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. Evangelista posted a career-best 56 points last season.
The New Jersey Devils acquired winger Luke Evangelista from the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, September 1, in exchange for a conditional 2028 first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft, according to Yahoo Sports.
Evangelista, 24, was drafted by Nashville in the second round (42nd overall) in 2020. In his career-best 2025-26 season, the winger tallied 56 points (12 goals, 44 assists) in 81 games, his fourth year with the Predators. Evangelista ranked fourth on Nashville in points last season and second in assists. That 56-point total would have placed him fourth on New Jersey's roster last season, per Yahoo Sports. The Devils finished 27th in league scoring and signed free agent Anthony Mantha, who scored 33 goals, in the offseason. Evangelista had more points than any New Jersey right wing last season.
Evangelista is in the second year of a two-year, $6 million contract and will be a restricted free agent after the current season. The conditional first-round pick belongs to the Colorado Avalanche and would become a 2029 pick if either Colorado's 2027 first-round pick is not transferred to Toronto or Colorado's 2028 first-round pick lands in the top 10, per Yahoo Sports.
Predators GM Chris MacFarland said trading Evangelista was not an easy decision, according to Yahoo Sports. MacFarland added forwards Mavrik Bourque, Ross Colton, and Jack Drury in the offseason. Nashville now has seven picks in the first two rounds over the next two drafts following the trade and gained roster room to give promising wingers in the organization opportunities to compete for NHL jobs.
Yahoo Sports assigned the Devils a trade grade of B and the Predators a grade of C+, noting that Evangelista's 24-point jump from the prior season made the young winger's departure surprising given his recent trajectory.
The Devils traded draft capital to Nashville to add Evangelista, a 24-year-old winger who recorded 56 points in 81 games last season, addressing a scoring depth gap.
Evangelista's production trajectory and contract status will determine whether the Devils received value for the draft capital they surrendered. New Jersey's scoring improvements during the 2026-27 season and Evangelista's free agent market outcome after 2026-27 will clarify the trade's impact.
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