How Long Will Evangelista Stay Unsigned For; Can Nashville Make Sense of Their Youth's Future?
Recent reports have shown that the Predators and Luke Evangelista's agents have been in a long discussion over contract extensions. Vange's agents don't want a long term deal with Nashville and respectfully, I don't blame him. His opportunities have been limited ever since the arrival of Stammer and Marchy. He began career averaging 16:34 a night and just this past season that has dropped to 13:52.
Contract talks between the Predators and RFA Luke Evangelista are ongoing, but as of today I’m told the two sides remain far apart on a deal. Camp gets going next week.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) September 9, 2025
This isn't anything new in the Preds organization. Multiple young, talented pieces have gone underappreciated and rarely get the time they need to develop. Eeli Tolvanen and Philip Tomasino are great examples. As soon as Tolvanen was claimed off of waivers by the Seattle Kraken, he instantly became a fan favorite, recording 27 points in his first 48 games with the club. Tomasino saw the same thing happen in Pittsburgh, putting up 23 points in 50 games with the Penguins.
Fans fear that if Nashville lets go of Vange like what they did with those two, the team might have just lost another future superstar in the works. What's even more scary is the Fedor Svechkov situation. Svech is in the final year of his ELC which means he will be a restricted free agent next offseason. If Nashville waits too long to get an extension done, the same situation might happen with Svech and his agents.
They have a bad reputation of leaving their young players hanging in order to get the most out of their veterans. This is something that needs to change in the organization for the better of its future. With current path the team is following, the youth will need to get more opportunities in order to start a new era of Smashville hockey.