The Nashville Predators have some serious business to take care of as training camp approaches on the horizon as Luke Evangelista remains one of the few unsigned RFA’s left.
The 23 year old forward has asserted himself as a solid middle 6 offensive piece in the Preds lineup. He has produced back to back 30 plus point seasons as he awaits a new deal.
Unfortunately for Predators fans, an update on the Evangelista contract talks has not given much promise that an agreement between player and club will be reached anytime soon.
What is the latest on Evangelista?
Via insider Chris Johnston, the Predators and Evangelista are few apart in contract negotiations and it does not sound like an extension will be announced imminently.
This news is not ideal for the Nashville Predators as they look to bounce back this season after a massively disappointing 24-25 campaign that saw the club miss the playoffs after a busy offseason in which contention was expected. Another letdown of a season won’t be tolerated by Nashville as expectations this season will be ramped up.
Evangelista is one of the better young forwards in the system; the Predators will need him if they wish to get back into the playoffs this season. Preds fans will have to hope a compromise between the parties is found sooner rather than later as the prospects of a holdout appear realistic.
The 2020 2nd round pick has totaled 33 goals and 53 assists for 86 points in his 172 game career with the Predators spread across 3 seasons. In the playoffs, he has scored 1 goal in 6 games.
