Nobody in the NHL was expecting a trade on the first day of September, and not even New Jersey Devils fans were expecting one, but Sunny Mehta made a big move on Tuesday.
The Devils announced they acquired forward Luke Evangelista from the Nashville Predators. The Predators received a 2028 1st-round pick, which the Devils got in the Simon Nemec trade with the Flames, and a 2028 2nd-round pick.
Evangelista scored 56 points (12 goals and 44 assists) last season, the highest of his career so far. He just turned 24 years old in February. Spending those three years in Nashville, he has looked great for the Predators, arguably being the best player on their roster.
The one thing Evangelista will give the Devils is being a great passer. A lot of the time when you see him on the ice, most of the time in the zone, he’ll create some great chances with his pressure, and he’s a great player who can be a set-up guy for any of the top-scoring talent he could be paired with. While it’s unclear whether he could be on a line with Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier, he could be the big asset they need to drive up more of their scoring.
Evangelista is also great on the power play; he had 16 power-play assists last year, and on a team that desperately needs something positive on the man advantage, Evangelista has the potential to change the dynamic of the Devils’ power play, which has struggled over the years. Evangelista is also a current RFA this season after his two-year contract in Nashville, but if he continues to be consistent, he’ll be around the Devils more long-term.
Luke Evangelista gives the Devils important depth in the top six
Some people will look at what the Devils gave up in this trade, a first-round pick and a second-round pick, and question why the Devils gave up so much. But people tend to forget one thing about that pick: it was Colorado’s pick. Colorado has been one of the most consistent teams in the NHL, so they are most likely going to make the playoffs every season, which makes the pick in the lower range.
This deal also raises one question: now that the Devils have enough forward depth, could we potentially see a Dawson Mercer trade in a short while? The Winnipeg Jets have reportedly looked at Mercer, and he could be part of a package to get Connor Hellebuyck. Mercer could also be one of the key pieces that could finally bring Quinn Hughes to New Jersey and finally end all this drama that’s been going on between them and Minnesota in the media. Either way, this is currently overall a great trade for Sunny Mehta, and yet we’re still one month away, and there’s still time for Sunny Mehta to keep making more moves like this to make his first season as a GM a great one.
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