The Nashville Predators have agreed to terms with forward Luke Evangelista on a two-year, $6 million contract, a source with knowledge of the agreement has told The Tennessean.
The deal, once signed, would keep Evangelista in Nashville through the 2026-27 season.
The agreement comes six days before the Predators open the regular season against the Columbus Blue Jackets (Oct. 9) and after a lengthy negotiation process that kept Evangelista out of training camp for more than two weeks.
Evangelista, 23, scored 10 goals and added 22 assists for the Predators last year while averaging 13:52 minutes over 68 games. A right-handed winger, Evangelista is a skilled playmaker with good offensive vision and finishing ability.
A second-round pick (No. 42 overall) in 2020, Evangelista has 33 goals and 53 assists in 172 games since making his debut in 2023. In 2024, the Toronto native finished ninth in voting for the Calder Trophy, an award given annually to the NHL’s rookie of the year.
Evangelista was a restricted free agent this summer. He was initially given a qualifying offer by the Predators, which allowed the two parties to continue negotiating over the summer. Those negotiations extended longer into the summer than most anticipated, but the two sides found a deal that keeps Evangelista in Nashville through 2027.
When this contract expires, Evangelista will be 25 years old and will have completed his fifth NHL season, keeping him an restricted free agent. Players are not eligible for unrestricted free agency until they turn 27 or have played seven or more NHL seasons.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.