The New Jersey Devils wasted little time locking in their newest forward.
Just a few weeks after landing Luke Evangelista from the Nashville Predators, New Jersey announced last night that it had signed him to a five-year, $36.25MM extension. PuckPedia later laid out the structure of the deal, which is heavily weighted toward signing bonuses.
According to that breakdown, Evangelista will earn $900K in NHL salary and $8.8MM in signing bonus in 2027-28, followed by $950K and $7.31MM in 2028-29. In 2029-30, the split is $1MM in salary and $5.12MM in bonus, along with a 7-team no-trade clause. The contract then shows $4.085MM in salary and $2MM in bonus in 2030-31 with a 5-team no-trade clause, and $1.4MM in salary plus $4.685MM in bonus in 2030-31 with a 3-team no-trade clause.
That bonus-heavy setup matters. With the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement expected to change how teams can use signing bonuses, the Devils managed to get this done before those rules would matter. The extension is about 77% signing bonuses, well above the 60% cap that is part of the proposed changes.
For New Jersey, the deal does more than just settle one roster spot. It gives the club another top-six forward through the end of the decade and helps explain why the Devils paid a first- and second-round pick to bring him in.
Evangelista’s path to this point started with Nashville taking him 42nd overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He made a name for himself with the OHL’s London Knights, piling up 55 goals and 111 points in 62 games with a +29 rating in the 2021-22 season.
He then moved into pro hockey and kept producing. With the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals in 2022-23, he put up nine goals and 41 points in 49 games with a +10 rating.
That ended up being his final stop outside the NHL. He got his first extended look with the Predators and posted seven goals and 15 points in 24 games, just missing the cutoff for rookie status.
Evangelista played the full 2023-24 season in Nashville and handled a third-line role for much of it. He finished with 16 goals and 39 points in 80 games, a zero rating, and 13:57 of ice time per night. He also placed ninth in Calder Trophy voting.
The next season brought a setback. Late in 2024-25, Evangelista suffered a leg injury after a hit from Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk and missed nearly a month. He still managed 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games.
Last season was his best yet. Evangelista finished with 12 goals and 56 points in 81 games, added a +1 rating, and averaged 16:37 of ice time per game. Nashville may have wanted more finish from him, but he became one of the club’s most effective playmakers and ranked fourth on the team in scoring.
That passing ability is exactly what New Jersey is betting on. The Devils have plenty of talent up front, especially in the top six, but goals have not come easily. Last season, even with injuries in the mix, Nico Hischier led the team with 28 goals.
The Devils also added Anthony Mantha late in the summer, which should help. But Evangelista gives them something different: a pure playmaker who can slot into any of the top three forward lines and help feed New Jersey’s shoot-first attackers for years to come.
In Other News...
Devils Rookie Camp Already Put Two Prospects On Everyone's Radar
The Devils rookie camp opened Sept. 11 with a scrimmage against the Islanders prospects, and it did what these early September showcases are supposed to do: give the organization a first real look at young players trying to force their way into bigger conversations. New Jerseys rookies pushed the pace, showed plenty of bite, and made it clear there is competition all over the lineup as the group works toward official training camp.
Anton Silaev, the recent first-round pick, stood out with a physical edge in his first American game, while Matyas Melovsky helped spark a third-period rally with back-to-back goals. The Devils still dropped the game 5-4 in overtime, but the result mattered less than the impression left behind, with several prospects showing they are already pressing for attention as the roster picture begins to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Moved Fast On Luke Evangelista For A Reason
The Devils moved quickly to get Luke Evangelista under contract before the old collective bargaining agreement expired, and the timing mattered. New Jersey had acquired the winger from the Nashville Predators for draft picks, then locked him in on a five-year deal worth $7.25 million, making sure the agreement was finished before the deadline that was set to reshape how contracts could be structured.
The deal is notable not just for its length and cost, but for how it was built, with a heavy front-load and a significant portion paid in bonuses. For a team that has been careful about managing its roster and cap outlook, getting the paperwork done in time allowed the Devils to use a setup that would not have been available under the new CBA restrictions. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Prospects In Russia Are Creating A Real Future Debate
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At camp, Matyas Melovsky, Silaev, Mikael Diotte and Amadeus Lombardi each gave the organization something to think about, even if the bigger picture remains unsettled. The Devils have plenty of reasons to be encouraged, but the real question now is how these separate track records overseas and in camp will translate when the team starts drawing firmer lines around future roster spots. [Read more 🡒]