Toronto-Born Forward Emerges as Intriguing Top-Six Option for the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
According to a report from Luke Fox, the Nashville Predators may be interested in trading Luke Evangelista, which opens the door for the Maple Leafs to make a deal.
With a lot of chatter around a potential Toronto Maple Leafs trade, there are no shortage of options for the team if they want to go ahead and make a deal, though they all do come at varying prices, with some likelier options than others.
The team doesn't have a lot of assets to make something work, but with some creativity and a willing trade partner, there's business to be made, and according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox; they may have one.
Insider Reports Predators Evangelista Possible Trade Option
Appearing on the Halford and Brough show, Fox explained that the Nashville Predators were possibly looking to shake things up, and may use forward Luke Evanegelista as a piece:
The only one I wonder about is Luke Evangelista; right now the sides are apart; they can't agree on term; the Predators...might be a little bit more into shaking things up.
He is an RFA and with the Predators unable to come to an agreement with the young forward, there might be a trade to be had; and Toronto needs to bring in another hometown boy.
Why Toronto Needs to Target Luke Evangelista
If the team wanted to bring in a similar player to Matias Maccelli both in skillset and youth, then Evangelista is the guy. Only 23, he has 86 points in 172 games in his young career (33 goals, 53 assists) and would offer a lot more upside long-term than someone like Bobby McMann.
Drafted 42nd overall by the Predators in 2020, the Toronto-born forward would actually bring yet another London Knights alumnus to the team, joining Easton Cowan, as well as former players like Mitch Marner and Nazem Kadri.
His dual-threat playmaking and scoring ability would be a perfect fit on Toronto's second or third line, depending on how Craig Berube wants to run things.
Alongside John Tavares and William Nylander, it would give the team a young, creative playmaker who can also benefit from Tavares' creativity. Or he can slide in on the third line with Nic Roy, and provide a spark down there as well.
The issue is Toronto's roster logjam currently and they would need to dump someone like McMann, David Kampf and/or Calle Jarnkrok to the Predators, and unless they feel that's enough to get them over the hump; it'll be hard to make a deal.
But for now, we'll have to see if Nashville does indeed intend on dealing Evangelista, and whether or not Toronto might be able to scoop him up.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
AOUT 29 | 818 ANSWERS Toronto-Born Forward Emerges as Intriguing Top-Six Option for the Maple Leafs Should Toronto trade for Luke Evangelista? | ||
| Yes | 344 | 42.1 % |
| No | 474 | 57.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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