The Devils didn’t just add Luke Evangelista this offseason - they paid for the chance to see whether his breakout year in Nashville can travel with him to New Jersey.
That’s the wager after the Devils sent two 2028 draft picks, a first-rounder and a second-rounder, to the Predators on Sept. 2 to bring in the 24-year-old forward. It was a move aimed squarely at upgrading a forward group the Devils have been trying to sharpen, and Evangelista arrives with the kind of résumé that makes the deal easy to understand.
He just finished the best season of his career in 2025-26, skating in 81 games and piling up 56 points on 12 goals and 44 assists. It was his fifth NHL season and fourth as a full-time player, and he set personal highs in games played, points and average ice time at 16:37.
Now comes the tougher part: doing it again in a new jersey.
Evangelista is expected to land in the top six and could end up alongside Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes on what the Devils rotate between their first and second line. That kind of assignment brings opportunity, but it also brings pressure. He’ll need to find chemistry quickly and prove New Jersey made the right call by betting on his scoring touch.
The contract situation adds another layer. The Devils are taking on the final season of his two-year, $6 million deal, which carries a $3 million AAV.
He’s set to become a restricted free agent next summer, and that makes this season feel like a test run with real stakes attached. If he clicks, the Devils could lock him up long term.
If he doesn’t, a bridge deal becomes the more likely path.
There are some clean milestones within reach, too. Evangelista has played 253 NHL games, so 300 is in play if he stays healthy.
He also sits at 97 assists, leaving him three shy of 100. His 45 goals put 50 within reach, and if he gets to 20 goals this season, it would be the first time he’s hit that mark in his career.
He has 142 points overall, meaning 58 more would get him to 200 - two more than the 56 he posted last season.
The Devils are clearly hoping that last year wasn’t a peak, just a launch point. Evangelista’s challenge now is simple to say and hard to do: bring that production with him, settle into a new role fast, and show he can be part of New Jersey’s top-six answer.
In Other News...
Devils Linked To Quinn Hughes But The Price Could Sting
The Devils have already been in the conversation around a potential swing for Quinn Hughes, and it is easy to see why. He is viewed as one of the top defensemen in the league right now, the kind of player who can tilt the balance of a roster and accelerate a team that expects to contend. For New Jersey, the appeal is obvious: a proven difference-maker on the blue line who would immediately raise the ceiling.
But the price being discussed is the part that would make any front office pause. The return would reportedly involve several players and a first-round pick, the sort of package that can thin out a system in a hurry even when the target is as attractive as Hughes. For the Devils, it turns the question from whether he fits to whether paying that kind of cost makes sense for a team that still has to protect its long-term depth. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Hughes Just Put The Real Hughes Brothers Hurdle In Focus
Jack Hughes put a familiar family dream back into the conversation at the NHL Player Media Tour, but he also made clear why it remains more of a fantasy than a near-term plan. The Devils star talked about the idea of playing alongside his brothers, Luke and Quinn, and acknowledged the appeal of the three Hughes brothers being on the same NHL roster while emphasizing how complicated the path would be.
For now, the reality is simpler for New Jersey: Jack is enjoying sharing the ice with Luke, and he pointed to Quinns major contract as one of the reasons a reunion of all three does not appear close. He did not downplay Quinns talent, either, praising his abilities while leaving the larger brotherly picture unresolved, which is exactly what keeps the idea alive around the league even if the logistics do not seem to cooperate. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Enter Camp With One Roster Boost And One Goalie Problem
The Devils head into camp with at least one clear roster boost after adding Luke Evangelista, giving the group a little more intrigue as the preseason grind begins. Even with that addition, the bigger conversation in New Jersey still circles back to the crease, where the team is sorting through a goaltending picture that includes Jonathan Allen, Nico Daws and David Rittich.
For a club trying to settle roles early, the goalie situation remains the more pressing storyline because it can shape how the rest of camp unfolds. The Devils are not alone in dealing with contract and future questions around the league, either, with Minnesota still working toward a Ryan Hughes extension and Sidney Crosby confirming talks with Pittsburgh, but New Jersey's immediate concern is whether its netminding depth can firm up before the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]