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Luke Evangelista

Predators Likely To Activate Luke Evangelista

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The Predators are expected to activate winger Luke Evangelista from the non-roster list before tomorrow’s game against the Mammoth, according to Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. Nashville has an open roster spot, so no corresponding transaction is needed.

Evangelista was left off Nashville’s initial roster submission and was unavailable for last night’s season opener due to delays in receiving his work visa. While that wouldn’t usually be a hiccup for a returning player, Evangelista spent most of the summer as a restricted free agent and didn’t have a contract in place for this season until last Friday, inking a two-year, $6MM pact. The Ontario-born winger needed new U.S. documents as a result, which ate into his season.

He will take to the ice for the first time in 2025-26 as Nashville’s second-line right winger alongside Steven Stamkos and Fedor Svechkov, according to today’s practice lines (via Daugherty). There are no other apparent lineup changes, meaning it’ll be 2022 first-rounder Joakim Kemell heading to the press box after he skated in that slot last night. Kemell, 21, broke camp with the Preds for the first time after getting his first taste of NHL action in a two-game call-up last year. He skated 12:22 yesterday and, while he was held off the scoresheet, managed four shot attempts and three hits, although Nashville was outattempted 13-6 when he was on the ice at even strength.

If Evangelista sticks in the top six, it’ll represent an increase in his role compared to last year. He spent a good chunk of 2024-25 on Nashville’s third line with Mark Jankowski and Thomas Novak until both were traded to the Hurricanes and Penguins, respectively, near the trade deadline. He recorded a 10-22–32 scoring line in 68 appearances, bringing the 23-year-old’s career total to 33 goals and 86 points in 172 contests since making his NHL debut in the back half of the 2022-23 season.

In the event Kemell doesn’t get back into the lineup promptly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Preds reassign him to AHL Milwaukee in the coming days to get playing time. The 5’11” winger had 19 goals and 40 poitns in 65 AHL games last season.

Predators Re-Sign Luke Evangelista To Two-Year Deal

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Oct. 4, 11:02 AM: The Predators have officially announced the signing, confirming the $3MM AAV.

Oct. 4, 9:28 AM: Evangelista’s deal pays him $2.25MM in 2025-26 and $3.75MM in 2026-27, according to PuckPedia. That backloaded structure results in the maximum possible qualifying offer of $3.6MM, or 120% of his cap hit.

Oct. 3: The list of players who saw NHL action last season and remain restricted free agents is down to just two.  That number is soon set to be cut in half.  David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that the Predators and Luke Evangelista are making progress tonight on a contract; TSN’s Darren Dreger adds (Twitter link) that an agreement is expected to be reached soon while Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic indicates (Twitter link) that it should be a two-year deal worth $3MM per season.

The 23-year-old was a second-round pick by Nashville back in 2020, going 42nd overall.  Evangelista spent a good chunk of his first full professional season in the minors back in 2022-23.  However, following a 24-game stint that season that saw him record 15 points in a late-season recall, he has been a full-time player with the Predators ever since.

Evangelista’s first full NHL campaign saw him pick up 16 goals and 23 assists in 80 games despite averaging less than 14 minutes a night of playing time.  That earned him some down-ballot support in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year as he finished ninth in balloting that season.  He was limited to just one goal in the playoffs that season but expectations were high that Nashville had a legitimate middle-six contributor that could be relied upon.

Last season, Evangelista had 10 goals and 22 helpers in 68 games, producing at pretty much the same clip as the year before.  While it would be fair to say they were hoping he’d take a step forward offensively, staying at almost the exact same point-per-game rate was notable in a season that saw a lot of Predators underwhelm offensively as an early-season speculative contender wound up missing the playoffs altogether and not by a small margin.

Considering that he had two seasons of similar production under his belt, Evangelista was a safe bet to land a bridge deal; a long-term pact likely wouldn’t have been feasible for either side.  That makes the fact that it has taken this long to get a deal done rather puzzling.  While it’s believed that the two sides briefly explored a three-year agreement, those talks didn’t last long given the gap in expected salary, putting the sides back to a two-year agreement.  Clearly, both sides were pretty dug in with what they thought was fair in terms of money and only the threat of the season starting early next week with him still unsigned was enough to get this across the finish line.

Evangelista will once again be a restricted free agent in the 2027 offseason.  However, there will be one big difference next time, that being his arbitration eligibility.  As long as one of the two sides files for a hearing, the case will be resolved sometime in August that summer, preventing things from getting to this point next time.

Evening Notes: Evangelista, Kleven, Dumais, Hurricanes

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While it appears that the Predators and Luke Evangelista have agreed that the winger’s next contract will be for two years, things don’t appear to be going well in terms of discussing money.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are still well apart on the financial side, so much so that the 23-year-old has left Nashville and is returning to Canada to train on his own while waiting for a contract to be hammered out.  Evangelista has two straight years of more than 30 points under his belt and is averaging exactly half a point per game in 172 career NHL appearances.  Despite that being a more concrete track record than many players have coming off their entry-level pacts, the two sides don’t appear to be close to an agreement just yet.

More from around the NHL:

  • Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left today’s exhibition game against Toronto in the third period with an undisclosed injury after crashing into the boards. Postgame, head coach Travis Green told reporters including Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link) that there was no immediate information available about the injury.  Kleven was a regular on Ottawa’s third pairing last season, putting up 10 points, 97 blocks, and 105 hits in 79 outings while also getting into all six playoff contests.
  • Blue Jackets prospect Jordan Dumais was injured in the final game of their rookie tournament last weekend and hasn’t been on the ice since. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic relays (subscription link) that the winger is listed as day-to-day with a hip flexor.  Dumais dealt with hip issues in 2024, undergoing surgery early that year and was limited to just 21 games with AHL Cleveland last season where he managed a respectable four goals and seven assists.
  • The Hurricanes may hold defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Jalen Chatfield out of all of their preseason games, relays team reporter Walt Ruff (Twitter link). Head coach Rod Brind’Amour relayed that this would be merely as a precaution but generally speaking, this would only be done if the player is nursing a minor injury.  Slavin is a well-established top-pairing player on Carolina’s back end while Chatfield quietly averaged nearly 19 minutes per game last season.

Central Notes: Connor, Evangelista, Zuccarello, Neighbours, Molendyk, Reid

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As expected from reports a few weeks ago, the Winnipeg Jets have begun extension negotiations with All-Star winger Kyle Connor. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much substantial progress made before the start of training camp.

Murat Ates of The Athletic shared a quote from General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, saying, “We’ve had great dialogue with KC’s representatives and we continue to have that. He’s obviously a big part.” A few moments later, Cheveldayoff added, “Every conversation, you’re hopeful that this is the one that closes it. But it’s not… I don’t know that it’s a timeframe sort of thing. You just keep on working at it.”

Regardless, Connor is poised for a major payday, from the Jets or elsewhere, on the heels of a career year and with the salary cap continuing to rise. Although he didn’t match his career-high in goals, he did in points, scoring 41 goals and 97 points in 82 games, averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game.

Other notes from the Central Division:

  • Despite being the only member of the team without a new contract heading into training camp, there’s little chance forward Luke Evangelista is moving on from the Nashville Predators. Speaking with Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean, General Manager Barry Trotz said that trading Evangelista is “not even a thought.” Over the last two years, playing full-time in Nashville, Evangelista scored 26 goals and 71 points in 148 contests.
  • In a vague report from Michael Russo of The Athletic, it doesn’t appear that veteran forward Mats Zuccarello will start the Minnesota Wild’s training camp on time. Without specifying the nature of the injury, there’s some concern in Minnesota that Zuccarello will miss some of the regular season due to the injury.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced that forward Jake Neighbours would miss the first three days of the team’s training camp due to a family matter. As expected, the team didn’t share any insights into the matter, though it doesn’t appear they expect Neighbours to miss much more time. The former first-round pick has become a quality secondary scorer for the Blues over the past few years, recording 49 goals and 84 points in 159 games.
  • Moving back to the injury train, Daugherty reported that Nashville prospects Tanner Molendyk and Cameron Reid are both out with lower-body injuries. Molendyk’s injury likely stems from being on the receiving end of a large hit during the team’s rookie camp, while Reid’s injury (likely longer term) was also suffered during rookie camp.

Evening Notes: Evangelista, Canadiens Rookies, Cootes

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Negotiations between winger Luke Evangelista and the Nashville Predators have begun to stall per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who reports that yearly salary is what’s created the wedge. Evangelista is one of the top unsigned restricted free agents after players like Connor Zary and Marco Rossi both found new deals. The 23-year-old Evangelista posted an impressive 10 goals and 32 points in 68 games last season. It was a suitable encore to the 16 goals and 39 points he posted in 80 games of the 2023-24 season.

A pair of successful scoring seasons would surely make the player’s camp confident in earning a hardy salary. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger recently signed a two-year, $4.5MM contract extension, while New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer recently signed a three-year, $12MM contract. Those could be the boundaries for a short-term, bridge contract for Evangelista, who has certainly proved he can stick in Nashville’s top nine. Should contract talks continue to stall, the Predators could opt for a one-year, sub-$1MM contract and kick negotiations back to next summer.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Montreal Canadiens have assigned a group of rookies back to their respective leagues after rookie camp came to a close. In turn, Montreal assigned defensemen Carlos Handel to the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, Andrew MacNiel to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, and Bryce Pickford to the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Goaltenders Arseny Radkov and Mikus Vecvanags will return to Russia and Latvia, respectively. The team has also returned a handful of rookie camp invites. All of the moves come as expected, though it rings as exciting news for fans of Medicine Hat and Halifax, as their top defenders return for another season.
  • Top Vancouver Canucks prospect Braeden Cootes was absent from the team’s final rookie camp scrimmage on Sunday, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. Drance later added that Cootes was held out for precautionary reasons and will still attend training camp next week. That will keep the reigning 15th overall pick on track to take his first crack at breaking into the NHL. Cootes had a strong season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds last year. He dominated the middle of the ice with quick plays all year long, working up to 63 points and 60 games in total. Cootes seems most likely set for a return to Seattle next season, though a strong training camp could earn him the chance at sticking in the pros for nine games.

Snapshots: Evangelista, Barzal, Jarvis, Luypen

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Predators winger Luke Evangelista is one of the few remaining restricted free agents with training camps on the horizon.  Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey relays that the two sides are focused on a bridge deal with the sides discussing contracts between one and three years but that there is still a gap to work through with more talks scheduled for this week.  The 23-year-old notched 10 goals along with 22 assists in 68 games last season and has 86 points in 172 career appearances with Nashville.  A short-term pact should carry a price tag in the $3MM range, one that they can easily afford with more than $9MM in cap room, per PuckPedia.  Kieser added that there has not been any talk about trading Evangelista so far.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Speaking at the NHL Player Media Tour today, Islanders forward Mathew Barzal provided reporters, including Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin (Twitter link), an update on his recovery from a knee injury that ended his season early. While he stopped short of declaring himself fully healthy (acknowledging he might not get back to that point), he will be ready to go in training camp.  Between this injury and one earlier in the season, the 28-year-old was limited to just 30 games last season where he had 20 points.
  • Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis told reporters at the NHL Player Media Tour today, including Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin (Twitter link), that his rehab from a shoulder injury has gone great. He opted not to undergo surgery this offseason despite dealing with the issue for the second year in a row, calling it a pain tolerance situation.  Jarvis, who had 32 goals and 35 assists in 73 games last season, also signalled an openness to being tried at center again, an experiment that hasn’t gained much traction over the last two seasons.
  • After being non-tendered by Chicago back in June, unrestricted free agent winger Jalen Luypen has found a team for the upcoming season as ECHL South Carolina announced that they’ve signed him to a one-year deal. The 23-year-old spent most of last season in the AHL with Rockford, notching eight goals and six assists in 56 games.

Poll: Who Will Be The Next RFA To Sign?

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The summer is winding down across the NHL, but a rich group of remaining restricted-free agents are keeping multiple teams from closing their books just yet. There are still multiple top, young players awaiting contracts for the 2025-26 season – including top-line features like Luke Hughes, Marco Rossi, and Mason McTavish. Pending any holdouts, it seems hard to imagine any of the top names not finding a new deal before the start of the season. But who will get the assurance next?

Hughes seems like a confident bet. There’s no denying the warm relationship between his family and the New Jersey Devils organization, and both team and player have already expressed interest in locking up a long-term contract. But that desire has been the exact hang-up in contract negotiations, as the Devils sit with just over $6.1MM in available cap space, per PuckPedia. Hughes scored 44 points in 71 games last year, and 47 points in 82 games in the year prior. That scoring is the second-most from any U23 defender in the NHL over the last two seasons, just behind Jake Sanderson (95 points) and ahead of Brock Faber (76 points).

Both Sanderson and Faber have already found their contracts for the future – each signing eight-year deals with cap hits north of $8MM. That seems to set a clear market for what Hughes, but it’s a price tag that New Jersey is currently priced out of. Landing a new deal with Hughes will seemingly take a gentleman’s agreement, or a supplemental move like parting with the $1.15MM cap hit of Kurtis MacDermid.

New Jersey’s holdups could pave way for Anaheim Ducks center McTavish to land a deal first. McTavish is another undeniable talent, who worked his way to a lofty 22 goals and 52 points in 76 games last season – good for second on the Ducks in scoring. He seems well set up for another big step next season, on an improved Ducks lineup with a new head coach. But McTavish’s continued divide with a rich Ducks team – currently wielding $20.54MM in cap space – has many speculating about what the two sides could be disagreeing on. That dialogue has made McTavish a top option for any team considering a late-summer offer sheet, though Anaheim’s rich cap space would make it tough to successfully buy McTavish. Instead, it seems the two sides will be tasked only with deciding between a short-term bridge deal or a deal that carries McTavish through his prime.

The Minnesota Wild will be facing a similarly challenging question with top center Marco Rossi. Rossi is another player who managed a true breakout last year, with 24 goals and 60 points in 82 games. He stepped into a prime role with the Wild in the second-half of the year, taking on the top-line center role with Joel Eriksson Ek out with injury and routinely earning north of 20 minutes of ice time. Rossi looked up to the task, but then was surprisingly relegated to a fourth-line role for Minnesota’s six postseason games. The Wild are clearly at ends with the question of whether Rossi’s 5-foot-9 frame can stand up to a true #1 role. That hang-up has made Rossi’s situation perhaps the most likely to drag through the pre-season. And still, it’s hard to imagine Minnesota will give up easily on their most recent top-10 draft pick. Rossi could be a strong candidate for a short-term, prove-it contract – which would give Minnesota the time to figure out his lineup role. The Wild sit with just over $9.4MM in cap space.

There are plenty of strong candidates to sign next outside of the big three names. The gap between the Calgary Flames and impressive center Connor Zary has been revealed as narrow. Multiple players have already carved out lineup roles with their signing team, and now only need the deal to prove it – players like Seattle’s Ryker Evans and Nashville’s Luke Evangelista. And other teams are merely one contract away from a full book, like the Vegas Golden Knights with winger Alexander Holtz. Any of those situations could quickly cave, and land another promising young player with the ramp they need for next season.

Who do you think will sign next? Answer in the poll below and let us know why in the comments:

Which RFA Will Sign Next?
Luke Hughes 39.39% (269 votes)
Mason McTavish 22.69% (155 votes)
Connor Zary 14.93% (102 votes)
Marco Rossi 12.15% (83 votes)
Luke Evangelista 10.83% (74 votes)
Total Votes: 683

Mobile users click here to vote.

Evening Notes: Evangelista, Rakell, Brodin, Johansson

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Nashville Predators forward Luke Evangelista did not dress tonight against the Ottawa Senators and is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Evangelista only recently returned from an eight-game absence and left Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins for a brief period before he returned to the bench. The extended absence was due to a lower-body injury, and it is not yet known if the two injuries are related. Vinnie Hinostroza suited up for the Predators in place of Evangelista and joined Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg on the second line.

The 22-year-old Evangelista has dressed in 31 games this season, tallying five goals and ten assists while averaging just shy of 13 minutes of ice time per game. The Toronto, Ontario native garnered some Calder Trophy consideration last season for the top rookie after a solid campaign that saw him post 16 goals and 23 assists in 80 games.

In other evening notes:

  • Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell will replace Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson on Team Sweden at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off (as per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff). Rakell is having a nice bounce-back season, registering 23 goals and 22 assists in 53 games, and he will have an opportunity to add to a solid international career that has seen him capture gold medals in the 2012 World Juniors as well as the 2018 IIHF World Championship. Karlsson, on the other hand, has been sidelined for the last six games due to a lower-body injury and will unfortunately miss out on the opportunity to represent his home country.
  • The Minnesota Wild will be without the services of Ryan Hartman for the next few weeks but will likely be getting Jonas Brodin and Marcus Johansson back tomorrow night (as per Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Brodin hasn’t played since January 7th, missing 12 consecutive games with a lower-body injury. The timing of the injury was unfortunate as the 31-year-old was heating up at the time with seven points in his past seven games. Johansson’s return would come after an eight-game absence, and he could slide into the lineup in place of Hartman. Johansson has struggled offensively this season, posting just five goals and 11 assists in 44 games.

Nashville Predators Make Three Roster Moves

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According to Nashville Predators’ reporter Nick Kieser, the team will look different tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Kieser shared that the Predators have activated forward Luke Evangelista from the injured reserve, reassigned defenseman Kevin Gravel, and recalled goaltender Matt Murray from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

The talented middle-six forward Evangelista returns after missing nearly a month with a lower-body injury. He’s been on the team’s injured reserve since January 7th when he left the game against the Winnipeg Jets after only five shifts.

His offensive production is a bit depressed compared to last year and the injury will make it even more difficult to replicate last season’s totals. Evangelista has scored four goals and 14 points in 39 games for Nashville this season after scoring 16 goals and 39 points over 80 games last year.

Still, nothing indicates he’s lost his potential from last season and the Predators are hopeful for a fruitful rebound. The team is 5-3-0 since Evangelista exited the lineup and they’ll need his help building toward a more respectable record.

Gravel will look to continue a solid season with the Admirals. Although he’s never been known for his point production, the longtime AHL defenseman is only eight points away from matching his career-high set with the AHL’s Ontario Reign in the 2015-16 season.

Aside from his three-goal, 12-point performance with the Admirals, the Kingsford, MI native has played in three games for the Predators this year. It’s his first NHL action since the 2022-23 season where he’s already matched his point total in 20 fewer games.

Murray will replace Juuse Saros tonight, who seems to be dealing with an illness or ailment. This season, Murray has performed well with the Admirals, posting a record of 13 wins, 7 losses, and 6 overtime losses in 23 games, along with a .927 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average. Netminder Justus Annunen is expected to start tonight, although Murray could step in if there is an injury or the score becomes lopsided.

Predators Place Luke Evangelista On IR, Activate Adam Wilsby

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The Predators have made a pair of roster moves heading into tonight’s game against Minnesota.  Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game relays (Twitter link) that Nashville has placed winger Luke Evangelista on injured reserve.  Taking his place on the roster is defenseman Adam Wilsby who has been activated off IR.  Nashville’s active roster currently stands at 22 players.

Evangelista’s placement on IR was only a matter of time.  He has already missed more than a week due to a lower-body injury and at the time of diagnosis, he was expected to miss a month.  The 22-year-old had a promising showing last season in his first full NHL campaign, tallying 16 goals and 23 assists in 80 games, leading to some higher expectations for 2024-25.  However, things haven’t gone as well for Evangelista this season as he had just four goals and ten assists in 39 games before being sidelined.

As for Wilsby, he missed close to three weeks due to an upper-body injury.  The 24-year-old has split the season between Nashville and AHL Milwaukee.  Wilsby has 15 appearances under his belt with Nashville in his first taste of NHL action, collecting a goal and three assists while logging 18:43 of ice time.  Meanwhile, with the Admirals, he has five points in 13 games.  With his activation giving the Preds seven healthy blueliners, it’s fair to say that Wilsby won’t be returning to the minors right away though that could change when Jeremy Lauzon is cleared to return from his lower-body injury.

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