Is it October yet? 

Unfortunately, no, but we're here to help pass the time. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 1, The Hockey News Nashville Predators will be counting down 24 players in 24 days, profiling every current or potentially rostered player. 

Today's player profile is forward Luke Evangelista. 

24 Nashville Predators in 24 days series 

Adam Wilsby

Jordan Oesterle

Andreas Engulund

Cole Smith

Michael McCarron

Justin Barron

Zachary L’Heureux

Matthew Wood

Nick Blankenburg

Brady Martin

Michael Bunting

Justus Annunen

Nick Perbix

As an NHL prospect

Evangelista joined the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League in his first season of juniors, scoring two points in 27 games. He didn't really hit his stride until his draft year, the 2019-20 season, where he scored 61 points in 62 games.

He was selected 42nd overall by the Predators in the 2020 NHL Draft. Evangelista would actually play 14 games with the Chicago Wolves during the 2020-21 season, scoring four points in 14 games before returning to London the following season. 

During the 2021-22 season, he was named team captain of the London Knights and scored a massive 111 points (55 goals and 56 assists) in 62 games, with a plus/minus of 29. Shockingly, he was ranked fourth in scoring that season. 

Professional career 

Evangelista was back in Milwaukee to start the 2022-23 season and continued to be a prolific scorer. He netted 41 goals in 49 games and played in the 2023 AHL All-Star Game. In the playoffs, Evangelista scored 15 points in 16 games. 

He also made his NHL debut, playing 24 games with the Predators and scoring 15 points. Evangelista joined the Predators full-time for the 2023-24 season, scoring 39 points in 80 games. He also had a point in six playoff games.

This past season, he had 32 points in 68 games. Evangelista has no current contract as he is a restricted free agent. 

What role will he play this season?

This is a double layered situation. 

The elephant in the room needs to be addressed, that the Predators have still not extended a new contract to Evangelista. The Predators made him a qualifying offer on July 1, but Evangelista and his representation passed on it.

According to General Manager Barry Trotz, Evangelista's representation didn't like the length of the contract. The original offer expired on July 15. Evangelista's agents and the Predators have likely been negotiating offers since then, but about a month out from training camp, Evangelista is still a restricted free agent. 

Considering that Trotz's seat continues to get hotter and hotter following questionable signings in the offseason and almost weekly critiques by The Athletic on the Predators' front office, getting Evangelista to sign a new deal before the start of training camp or during would quiet some of that. 

In Evangelista's role with the Predators, he is a part of the next generation of this team. Considering all the talent that the Predators have drafted over the last three years and those ready to make the jump up to the NHL, Evangelista is leading that charge. 

His game is really beginning to heat up and getting him on a consistent line this fall could see everything really take off. If Brady Martin comes in, Matthew Wood starts going and the Fyodor Svechkov experiment works at center, the Predators are lined up for success. 

But that all starts with making sure that Evangelista is a priority and meeting his contractual obligations. It seems the Predators want to lock him down for a longer contract, which is why the negotiations are stalling. 

Trotz has said Evangelista is "the future" and he's really looking like that. 

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