After having a breakthrough, Luke Evangelista was on the move Tuesday with the Nashville Predators trading the forward to the New Jersey Devils.
Evangelista, who scored 12 goals and a career-high 56 points in 81 games last season, heads to the Devils with the Predators receiving a 2028 conditional first-round pick via the Colorado Avalanche and the Devils' 2028 second-round pick.
First-year Devils general manager Sunny Mehta has used this offseason to address the challenges that plagued the club last season, with scoring being among their primary concerns.
New Jersey averaged 2.76 goals per game last season, which was the sixth-fewest goals per game in the NHL. The Devils finished 12 points out of the second and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Mehta, who was an assistant GM with the Florida Panthers, took over in mid-April. Back in June, he traded goaltender Jacob Markstrom to the Panthers as part of a package that saw them receive a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Evan Rodrigues, who has scored more than 10 goals and 30 points in each of the last five seasons.
The Devils added more help when they signed winger Anthony Mantha in free agency to a two-year deal worth $4.75 million annually after he scored 33 goals and 64 points last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Evangelista now gives the Devils another option on the edge in addition to what they already had in Jesper Bratt, Connor Brown, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, Mantha, and Rodrigues.
Nashville moving on from Evangelista, who had one year remaining on his contract worth $3 million, is the latest decision made by Chris MacFarland after he took over as GM and team president in early June.
MacFarland, who was the GM of the Colorado Avalanche, has used his time in charge to add players quite familiar with the Central Division such as Mavrik Bourque, Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Alexander Kerfoot and Ilya Lybushkin to a team that would finish four points adrift of the second and final Western Conference wild-card spot.
Another facet of MacFarland's time in charge of the Predators has been to attain additional draft capital. The Predators now have two first-round picks and three second-round picks for the 2028 draft.