Luke Evangelista isn’t spending much time thinking about a new deal with the New Jersey Devils, even if the timing could make things interesting down the line.
The Devils got the 24-year-old winger from the Nashville Predators last week in a deal that sent back a first-round pick, the Avs’ pick, and a second-rounder. Evangelista is entering the final season of his contract with a $3 million cap hit, and he’s fresh off a career year that included 44 assists and 56 points.
There’s a case for New Jersey to get ahead of things before September 15th, especially after the contract back-and-forth Evangelista and his agent Judd Moldaver went through with Nashville before last season’s two-year agreement. But for now, Evangelista sounds perfectly content to let the hockey take care of itself.
“The idea of playing in Jersey with the squad and all that contract stuff, that’s the one thing I learned is it’s kind of out of your control a little bit. So my job is just to go play, and when that comes around, we’ll deal with it when we get there. But I’m not too concerned about it right now.”
The Sidney Crosby speculation, meanwhile, is starting to feel a lot less like a hot topic and a lot more like a door that’s quietly swinging shut.
On The Sheet with Jeff Marek, Greg Wyshynski said it may be time to stop imagining the Pittsburgh Penguins captain in Montreal, Colorado, or anywhere else. The longtime Crosby-to-somewhere-else chatter has always had a life of its own, especially with the Montreal Canadiens connection that comes with hockey history baked in.
Wyshynski pointed to the fantasy version of it all: Crosby as the late-career megastar, maybe joining a team where two of his closest friends might not even be there after this season, maybe serving as the final piece for Montreal, maybe scoring the kind of big goal that turns a season. He even floated the image of an overtime winner, noting, “Perhaps even an overtime goal, which I believe he did in the Olympics once.”
Marek pushed back a bit, asking, “I don’t know about that one. What do you think?”
Wyshynski’s answer was the telling part. After years of entertaining the possibility, he said the longer Crosby stays in Pittsburgh, the more it looks like he’ll finish where he started.
“I’ve been in the Sid’s gonna play somewhere else business for too long. I may have to, I may, I may, I may have to close up the shop.
Because the more, the more he’s in Pittsburgh, the more it feels like he’s going to stay in Pittsburgh. The more it feels like he’s going to be a one team, a one team guy.
And that kills me because we’d all love to see him with (Nathan) MacKinnon. And we’d all love to see him and you know be the elder statesman, the Obi Wan Kenobi, leading the young Skywalkers in, in Montreal. But I just think maybe I have to close up the Sid, the Sid playing elsewhere shop.”
Elsewhere in the roundtable, a separate question came up about whether Connor Hellebuyck even makes sense for the Buffalo Sabres.
In Other News...
Nico Hischier Revealed What Made Him Commit To The Devils
Nico Hischier didnt waste any time when it came to locking in his future with New Jersey, agreeing to a five-year, $58.5 million contract extension on the first day he was eligible. It was a fitting move for a player who has been one of the Devils most steady voices and most dependable performers over the past five seasons, growing into the captaincy while helping anchor the franchise through a period of change.
In discussing the decision, Hischier pointed to his commitment to the Devils and the recent shifts around the organization, including the arrival of new general manager Sunny Mehta. For a player of his stature, the timing underscored how much faith he has in where the team is headed, and it also hinted at a broader belief that the Devils next chapter could be even more compelling than the last. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Have Every Reason To Watch This Hellebuyck Sweepstake
As training camp approaches, the Devils are carrying a roster that already looks crowded in a few important places, especially up front and in goal. That makes any significant move harder to pull off, but it also leaves New Jersey in position to monitor the market closely if the right opportunity appears. Connor Hellebuyck has already made his desire for a trade public, and the Devils are widely viewed as one of the teams best positioned to chase him if Winnipeg decides to engage seriously.
The issue, of course, is cost. Any deal for a goalie of Hellebuycks stature would require a substantial package, and that is where the Devils would have to decide how aggressive they want to be while trying to keep their current depth intact. Luke Evangelista, recently acquired by New Jersey, has already sounded eager to help push the club toward the playoffs, which only adds to the sense that this is a team trying to win now while still leaving room for a major swing if the market breaks its way. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres May Have One Path Left To Contender Status
Goaltending chatter around the Devils has become part of the offseason conversation again, and Connor Hellebuycks name is sitting near the center of it. New Jersey already knows the shape of the problem: a team with enough talent to think bigger, but with no margin for error in net if it wants to close the gap on the Easts best clubs.
The Winnipeg Jets goalie has been floated as a possible fix for several teams, and the Devils are one of the more logical fits because of where they are in their timeline. The question is whether New Jersey decides to make a real push for a proven answer, or whether it keeps looking for a less dramatic path while Buffalo and Carolina are also weighing their own needs in goal. [Read more 🡒]