The New Jersey Devils made a huge move on Tuesday night that many expect will solidify their top six. They sent a first- and second-round pick to the Nashville Predators for Luke Evangelista.
Last season, Evangelista had a hard negotiation with then-Predators’ GM Barry Trotz, holding out of training camp longer than Luke Hughes. He didn’t sign until October 4th, but he didn’t have the slow start to the year many expected. He was good in October, great in November, and even better in December (12 points in the month). For someone who starts fast, it was good to see that the missed training camp didn’t really impact him.
However, almost 11 months to the day after he signed his contract, Evangelista is joining a new franchise. The 24-year-old is now a member of the New Jersey Devils.
The timing of the trade is very interesting. The Devils could have waited until training camp started and seen what the situation looked like. They already had a massive logjam at the forward position. Now, it’s even worse.
The Devils will likely make a move after the Luke Evangelista trade, as they now have 14 forwards on the NHL roster, and realistically, 16 forwards who should be considered NHL-ready. Meanwhile, because of the need to carry an extra defenseman and their three-goalie rotation, there’s room for just one extra forward.
The next move by the New Jersey Devils shouldn't be a trade
While the logjam is something the Devils should address, they can do that during training camp. However, there's a ticking clock when it comes to Evangelista's contract negotiation.
Because he only has one year left on his deal, the Devils can negotiate an extension with Evangelista. He became eligible for an extension on July 1st. Based on what Chris McFarlane said about creating cap space after the trade, one might assume the negotiations showed that Evangelista was not part of the future for Nashville's new GM.
The Devils should use something for the last time to make this work.
The latest Collective Bargaining Agreement changed contract structures. Now, extensions can only be seven years maximum and free agent contracts can only be six years long at most. However, those contract changes only go into effect on September 15th, the technical start of the new league year. So, an eight-year extension is still on the table until then
That's why Cale Makar was allowed to sign for eight years. The Devils should use this contract to get Evangelista locked in.
That might sound crazy for the Devils to lock into a forward who isn't a superstar for eight years, and it might sound crazy that the player would lock himself down for this long while he's rising, but it makes sense on multiple fronts.
For the Devils, they are taking a massive bet on a player who should easily grow into any deal that is in a normal level of negotiation. He's making just $3 million per season on this deal, and he had to hold out of training camp just to get that. That situation probably didn't put the best taste in his mouth.
So, what would it cost?
The contract is interesting because to get the eight-year deal you want, you have to overpay on the deal, but it would not be an overpay through the course of the contract.
The ideal scenario is the Devils give him an eight year deal that pays him $5 million per season, but that is very unlikely to be accepted by Evangelista. If he pushes for a deal that pays him $7 million per season, that might be too rich without a little more of a guarantee in production. An eight-year deal that pays him $6 million per season feels like the right amount of risk for both sides.
The Devils would be in bad shape if they had to buy that contract out early on if Evangelista got injured, but if he ends up being a player who can get closer to a point per game after playing with Jack Hughes, his contract is going to explode. Leo Carlsson is making $18 million per season and only signed for five years.
So, getting Evangelista signed for a massive deal before he earned an even bigger one would be te best move Sunny Mehta can make after trading for the future star.
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