The Nashville Predators are in a reasonable spot when you consider their overall RFA outlook, as they do not have many important young players with contracts that expire soon. Matthew Wood is one of them, but he has much more to prove before the Predators can think about paying him anything major.
The one future RFA who stands out is Luke Evangelista, as his contract expires next offseason and he is coming off of a breakout season in his third full year. Paying him at this very moment is likely not at the top of Chris MacFarland's priority list, but it is something he has to start thinking about before October arrives.
This is especially the case when you consider Mavrik Bourque's recent extension, which sets a good precedent for what Evangelista is likely to get if he stays on his current path. The Predators might not want to waste much time putting pen to paper if that happens.
Luke Evangelista could earn substantial payday before 2026-27 season ends
It is not a stretch to say that Evangelista had as good of a 2025-26 campaign as we would have hoped, as he shattered his previous career high in points and was impactful all over the ice. Aside from a cold streak in the month of March and some of April, he was making plays all throughout the season.
The eye test, the box score, and even the underlying numbers showed that he was a difference maker at both ends of the ice against strong competition. There was just one issue that has been consistent thus far in his career, and that was his lack of goal scoring.
He only found the back of the net 12 times last year and finished with a shooting percentage of 6.8, which is the worst in his career and the third straight season in which he has shot under 10 percent. It is a good sign that so many other parts of his game took steps forward, but scoring is the biggest thing he needs to improve if he wants to round out his offensive game.
It is understandable that the Predators might not feel the need to get an extension done right now, as Evangelista still could not just walk in free agency and he still has room to keep growing. But if he starts 2026-27 the same way he played last year, then MacFarland should seriously consider getting a deal done midway through the season.
It would be hard to say that Evangelista should get much if any less than Bourque just got on his contract, and with player contracts going up recently, the Predators might just want to get it over with before the offseason arrives.
Even though they might be taking a chance on his goal scoring improving, it would not be hard to justify since contracts nowadays are so heavily predicated on player potential. And with Evangelista proving to be an impactful player regardless of that deficiency, they should not be fearful about taking a slight gamble if it comes to that.
It would not be the worst thing in the world, but still not ideal if this dragged out to next offseason given how much more common offer sheets are becoming nowadays. Plus, the more and more he takes steps forward, the more and more his price goes up.
The Predators also have to remember that contract negotiations forced Evangelista to miss almost all of training camp last year, which nobody wants to happen again. If they are serious about him being a part of their future, they should lock him up early in the season unless his development stalls out.
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