Nashville Predators trade Luke Evangelista to the New Jersey Devils for two picks

The Nashville Predators surprised the NHL by trading forward Luke Evangelista to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for two future draft picks on September 1. Evangelista, who agreed to a two-year contract with the Predators last summer, will join the Devils for the 2026-27 season. In return, the Predators received a first-round pick and a second-round pick from the Devils, which will be used in the 2028 NHL Draft.

One of these picks is a conditional one, originating from Colorado. If certain conditions are met, such as Colorado's 2027 first-round pick not being transferred to Toronto, or Colorado's 2028 first-round pick falling within the Top 10, the conditional pick will be upgraded to a first-round pick in 2029. This unexpected trade took place just before the start of the 2026-27 season.

Evangelista had an impressive season, scoring 12 goals and 44 assists in 81 games, playing as a top-six forward and primarily alongside Ryan O'Reilly and Filip Forsberg. Alex Daugherty, the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean, covered the story. He can be reached at jdaugherty@gannett.com, followed on X at @alexdaugherty1, or viewed on the Nashville Tennessean's Instagram page @tennessean_preds.