Devils Add Luke Evangelista in Surprise Trade With Predators
Luke Evangelista participates in the Inglasco Puck Control Relay during the 2023 AHL All-Star Skills Competition at Place Bell on February 5, 2023, in Laval, QC, Canada. Photo by Vitor Munhoz / Arena du Rocket Inc.
Written by Gina Anton
Luke Evangelista thought he knew how his offseason was going to end.
He was packed up and headed back to Nashville, ready to prepare for another season with the Predators. Then, about 90 minutes before he was supposed to arrive, his agent told him to stay by his phone.
Everything changed from there.
“I was all packed up and I was actually headed to Nashville (Wednesday) morning, and then my agent gave me maybe an hour and a half heads up that something might be going down and to stay by the phone,” Evangelista said.
By Tuesday, the 24-year-old forward was no longer preparing for another season in Music City. He had been traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
For Evangelista, the timing made the trade even more unexpected. He had just finished the best offensive season of his four-year NHL career, recording 12 goals and 44 assists for 56 points in 81 games.
Now, instead of returning to a familiar locker room, he is preparing to walk into a completely different one. And he seems ready to embrace the change now more than ever.
“I’m so excited about the idea of coming to Jersey, playing for an elite squad, and making a playoff push,” Evangelista said. “It’s been an absolute whirlwind for sure, but super excited to get down there and kind of get to learn the city and meet all the boys.”
That excitement is easy to understand.
Evangelista is coming off a season in which he finally began to put everything together offensively. After spending his first few NHL seasons finding his footing, he emerged as one of Nashville’s more productive forwards, finishing with career highs in goals, assists and points.
For Devils fans, Evangelista is a player worth paying attention to. He is coming to New Jersey after finally putting together the kind of season that showed what he can become, and at 24, there is still plenty of room for him to take another step. His 56 points last season give the Devils another young offensive threat, but his biggest value could come from what happens next.
A fresh start on a team pushing for the playoffs gives Evangelista a chance to play with more confidence, build off his breakout year and become a player Devils fans can grow with. After watching his career take a major turn in just a matter of days, fans now get to see what he can do with that opportunity.
The trade means he now gets to take that next step somewhere with much different expectations.New Jersey is not simply bringing Evangelista in to see what he can become. The Devils are looking to compete, and Evangelista already has his sights set on being part of that push.
There is also a certain excitement that comes with experiencing a new hockey environment.
Evangelista has heard what the atmosphere inside New Jersey’s home arena can be like, particularly during the playoffs. Now, he wants to experience it for himself.
“Just absolutely rocking,” Evangelista said of the Devils’ home arena. “I would love to get a taste of that.”
A few days earlier, Evangelista was on his way back to Nashville with one plan for the season ahead.
Now, he is heading to New Jersey with a new team, a new city and a chance to play meaningful hockey in front of a fan base he has already heard plenty about.
The trade may have caught him off guard, but the opportunity clearly hasn't. For Evangelista, the whirlwind has already begun. Now comes the fun part: finding out where it takes him.
