Why the Latest Luke Evangelista Update Could Keep Him on the Maple Leafs' Radar

With the growing discussion being that of whether Toronto is going to make some type of trade to bring in some extra scoring help, the amount of rumors and players the team has been linked to is vast and varied.

They certainly could use a little bit of extra help now that Mitch Marner's gone, however things might not be as hopeless as initially thought.

But you can never have too much help, which is why the team should be keeping tabs on what's happening with Luke Evangelista in Nashville. According to Chris Johnston on his podcast The CJ Show, he mentioned the impasse both sides were at and it doesn't look too good:

This echoes what insider Luke Fox spoke about recently with both sides being far apart in terms of a contract, and even suggested the Predators may want to shake things up.

The Toronto-born Evangelista would be a very solid addition to the middle six, and offers a great mix of youth and established talent.

The London Knight product was drafted 42nd overall by the Predators in 2020 and had. solid debut season with 15 points in 24 games, then exploded for 39 points in 2023-24.

Last season was a bit of a struggle but he still managed 32 points in 68 games; on par with Max Domi. Not uber-physical, he does need to have some measure of protection in the form of someone like a Dakota Joshua or Steven Lorentz however could elevate those players offensively in response.

While there is still talks going on between Evangelista and the Predators, it seems like Nashville is at a weird time; they have a ton of veterans who were signed to make a big run but it failed miserably.

If they do so again, but can't come to terms with Evangelista, it makes things even more tough for GM Barry Trotz to actually field a competitive team down the line.

Plus now you've suddenly got a fair bit of youth in the lineup with Matias Maccelli, Nick Robertson, Matthew Knies, potentially Easton Cowan and also Evangelista. For a team that was the oldest in the NHL last year it's a welcome relief.

So while nothing is certain as of yet, things are certainly getting interesting in Music City.

Which means Toronto could bring in a young blossoming forward and dance their way to a Stanley Cup berth.