The New Jersey Devils acquired winger Luke Evangelista from the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, Sept. 1 for a conditional 2028 first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
Evangelista, 24, is coming off a career-best season with 44 assists and 56 points as the 2020 second-round pick played a top-six role in Nashville. He ranked fourth on the Predators in points and was second in assists.
Advertisement
The traded first-round pick belongs to the Colorado Avalanche. It would become a 2009 first-round pick if either a) Colorado’s 2027 first-round pick is not transferred to Toronto; or b) Colorado’s 2028 first-round pick falls within the top 10.
Here are trade grades for the Luke Evangelista deal:
1 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Luke Evangelista was traded to the New Jersey Devils.
(Steve Roberts, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
1 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Luke Evangelista was traded to the New Jersey Devils.
(Steve Roberts, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)
2 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Veteran winger Patrick Kane is returning to Chicago, signing a two-year deal with the Blackhawks after spending the last three seasons in Detroit.
(Danny Wild, Imagn Images)
3 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he will join brother Matthew.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
4 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Pavel Dorofeyev was traded to the New York Rangers.
(Bruce Bennett, Getty Images)
5 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Darnell Nurse was traded to the San Jose Sharks.
(David Gonzales, Imagn Images)
6 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Simon Nemec was traded to the Calgary Flames.
(Ed Mulholland, Imagn Images)
7 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Vincent Trocheck was traded to the Utah Mammoth.
(Sam Navarro, Imagn Images)
8 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward JJ Peterka was traded to the Boston Bruins.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
9 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Mason McTavish was traded to the St. Louis Blues.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
10 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Mavrik Bourque was traded to the Nashville Predators.
(Steve Roberts, Imagn Images)
11 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Bowen Byram was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.
(Timothy T. Ludwig, Imagn Images)
12 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Alex Tuch joined the Washington Capitals in a sign-and-trade.
(Winslow Townson, Imagn Images)
13 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jordan Kyrou was traded to the Washington Capitals.
(Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images)
14 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goalie Jacob Markstrom was traded to the Florida Panthers.
(David Kirouac, Imagn Images)
15 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Blake Coleman was traded to the Minnesota Wild.
(Jerome Miron, Imagn Images)
16 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Keegan Kolesar was traded to the Detroit Red Wings.
(James Guillory-Imagn Images)
17 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Nick Paul was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)
18 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward William Eklund was traded to the Ottawa Senators.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
19 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Darren Raddysh joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade deal.
(Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images)
20 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Nick Paul was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Keito Newman, IMAGN IMAGES)
21 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Marcus Pettersson was traded to the New York Rangers.
(Stan Szeto, Imagn Images)
22 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was traded to the New York Rangers.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
23 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Dennis Schneidler, Imagn Images)
24 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Frederik Andersen signed with the Edmonton Oilers.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
25 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Viktor Arvidsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings.
(Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)
26 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Anthony Mantha signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
(Rob Gray, Rob Gray-Imagn Images)
27 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Mason Marchment signed with the San Jose Sharks.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)
28 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman John Carlson was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
29 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jack Roslovic signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Perry Nelson, Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)
30 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jaden Schwartz signed with the Colorado Avalanche.
(Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images)
31 / 31
NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Ian Cole signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
Luke Evangelista trade details
The Devils get winger Luke Evangelista and the Predators get a conditional first-round pick and a second rounder in the 2028 draft.
The Devils finished 27th in scoring last season and Evangelista’s 56 points would have placed him fourth on the team. He had more points than any New Jersey right wing last season and he has a good upside. Coupled with the signing of free-agent 33-goal scorer Anthony Mantha, new general manager Sunny Mehta has added scoring from the wing in a bid to get back to the playoffs. Evangelista is in the second year of a two-year, $6 million contract and will be a restricted free agent after the season.
Advertisement
The move was surprising considering Evangelista is young and had a 24-point jump in points last season. But new Predators GM Chris MacFarland was busy adding forwards in the offseason, including Mavrik Bourque, Ross Colton and Jack Drury. He said trading Evangelista wasn’t an easy decision, but the Predators now have seven picks in the first two rounds over the next two drafts and the room to give one of the promising wingers in the organization a chance to compete for an NHL job.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luke Evangelista trade grades as Predators deal young winger to Devils
