The New Jersey Devils signed 24-year-old forward Luke Evangelista to a five-year deal last week. The deal came less than one hour before the new collective bargaining agreement went into effect, which would have changed some of the structure of the contract. Fans on both sides have made their opinions known, with most applauding the trade and signing. Nashville received a conditional first-round and second-round pick in the 2028 draft in return.
One thing cannot be overstated about the young winger. Evangelista made an impact on the top line in Nashville with his playmaking abilities. Despite only scoring 12 goals in 81 games, he often played with the Predators' stars in different combinations with the team's leading goal scorers. He earned himself 44 assists just last season on these lines.
He helped Steven Stamkos elevate his game in Nashville. With a Nashville offense with limited depth that struggled to score, Stamkos couldn't match his previous goal-scoring pace. In his second season, with Evangelista on his wing, he netted 42 goals, much more in line with his previous point-production levels.
Luke Evangelista can bring his top-line impacts to the New Jersey Devils
Evangelista has also shown that he has room to grow. In one season, he doubled his number of assists from 22 to 44. He also had a noticeable jump in production on the power play, increasing his single-season point total from 5 to 17. Some fans consider this stat jump an outlier, while others believe it's an indicator of the player's full potential.
He has a noticeable presence in the offensive zone, being in the 88th percentile of shots on goal and the 96th percentile of offensive zone time. He is also above average in high-danger shots on goal, giving his line more opportunities to get the puck in the net.
Commonly projected lineups predict Evangelista taking Dawson Mercer's spot on the top line. If this comes to fruition, Evangelista could help elevate Hischier's goal-scoring with his adept playmaking and dangerous shot potential. Fans also hope he helps unlock Timo Meier's scoring.
We saw this lineup in the Devils' preseason game against the Rangers. Early on, we saw Evangelista controlling shot rebounds and making plays out of difficult situations. He helped capitalize on a messy situation for the first goal in that game. He then worked to tie up a player to allow Meier to score.
It's early, but we can already see the promise a player like him has when combined with the right teammates.
He is also reliable defensively, fitting in with the team objective of garnering 200-ft players. With the Devils' existing goaltending woes, having solid defensive forwards will be imperative to reducing quality shots on net and aiding the goaltender.
All in all, Evangelista is giving Devils fans something to look forward to as the season approaches, and many have high hopes for what a player like him could offer.
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