Devils’ Luke Evangelista breaks silence after trade from Predators

Luke Evangelista enjoyed a breakout 2025-26 campaign with the Nashville Predators, appearing in 81 regular-season games and setting career-highs of 44 assists and 56 points.

Somewhat surprisingly, Predators president of hockey operations and general manager Chris MacFarland decided to move on from the 2020 second-round draft pick, shipping Evangelista to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.

Evangelista admitted that he was surprised by the trade, but that he’s already looking forward to the next chapter in his career.

“I’m so excited about the idea of coming to Jersey, playing for an elite squad, and making a playoff push,” Evangelista told reporters during a Zoom call on Thursday, per NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale. “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.”

The 24-year-old should get an immediate opportunity to play in New Jersey’s talented top-six, which features the star quartet of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier.

“You try and shut down the Hughes line and then you got Hischier rolling out right after them,” Evangelista added. “The depth, just in my eyes, is super impressive. Being able to roll four lines, I think that’s a huge asset to a team.

“I take pride in making my linemates better and trying to put them in good spots and good positions and help them succeed. With the elite talent and the elite hockey IQ in the lineup, I feel like I have a chance to kind of blend in well with the group and just try to elevate everyone else’s game.”

Both MacFarland and Devils general manager Sunny Mehta have reinforced their respective lineups this summer. The Predators executive moved on from Evangelista, but brought Mavrik Bourque, Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Alexander Kerfoot and Ilya Lyubushkin to Nashville.

As for Mehta, he is aiming to improve a roster that scored just 2.76 goals per game in a non-playoff season in 2025-26, the sixth-fewest in the National Hockey League.

He added Evan Rodrigues from the Florida Panthers in the trade that sent veteran goaltender Jacob Markstrom to Sunrise, while also signing Anthony Mantha to a two-year contract after the forward recorded 64 points in 81 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season.

The ultimate goal is to get the Devils back into the dance in 2026-27, and Evangelista should be a key piece of that quest. He is entering the second season of a two-year, $6 million contract, and could be a restricted free agent next summer.

New Jersey opens its new campaign against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 1.

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