The New Jersey Devils announced a big move before time was no longer on their side. With literally less than an hour before the midnight deadline that ends the previous collective bargaining agreement, the Devils signed Luke Evangelista.
Evangelista came over from the Nashville Predators for a first- and second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. The first-round pick is actually Colorado’s, which they got in the Simon Nemec trade. It was a shocking trade on September 1st, kicking off an important month of Devils hockey.
After the trade, many expected the Devils to sign Evangelista to an extension quickly. Despite not having played a game for the Devils yet, Evangelista is on an upward trajectory, and those players are becoming more and more expensive. He had 56 points last season, but he only had 12 goals. Evangelista is an incredible distributor who will thrive with an elite finisher on his wing.
New Jersey Devils sign Luke Evangelista to big extension
That’s why the Devils were willing to take a risk with the contract they gave him. First-year GM Sunny Mehta signed Evangelista to a five-year deal worth $7.25 million. Many Devils fans, including writers at Pucks and Pitchforks, were advocating for Evangelista to sign an eight-year deal. The ability to sign such a deal ended at midnight on September 16th.
Some of the contracts coming out on Tuesday should show how important the number is for the Devils. The Washington Capitals signed Ryan Leonard to a deal worth $10.5 million per season, and Justin Sourdif got $6.35 million per season. While those are both eight-year deals, Evangelista looks great compared to them both. Cutter Gauthier got $81 million over six years (north of $13 million per season). All of these contracts were signed to hit this September 15th deadline.
While Evangelista didn’t sign the max term on his contract, getting it done before the deadline is still important. The structure of the contract would have been illegal literally an hour after it was announced.
The contract is heavily front-loaded, with some of that risk offset by buyout protection. He will make $9.7 million per season in the first year of the contract. In the last year of the contract, 2031-32, he will make $6.085 million. The next CBA limits the extreme differences between yearly salaries.
Insider Chris Johnson says that more than 60% of the contract will be paid in bonuses. Bonuses are limited in the new CBA, so those bonus-heavy contracts are no longer being signed after Tuesday. Evangelista might have signed the last contract ever under the previous CBA.
Of note on the Luke Evangelista extension: More than 60% of the $36.25M contract will be paid in signing bonuses, which wouldn't have been allowed if it wasn't registered minutes before midnight.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) September 16, 2026
All in all, this is a great deal signed by Mehta and Evangelista. Contracts are rising rapidly, but Evangelista still has one good season under his belt. After a tumultuous contract negotiation with the Nashville Predators before last season, getting this done quickly had to be a priority for the Devils. Now that it’s done, we can focus on hockey.
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