The Toronto Maple Leafs made an under-the-radar move earlier this offseason when they acquired promising winger Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth for a conditional third-round pick. Maccelli had shown his offensive potential in two seasons that he spent previously with the Arizona Coyotes where he put up 49 and 57-point campaigns.
With cap space at a premium, being able to maximize young talent and potential for the right price will be a key for sustainable success for the Maple Leafs heading into the upcoming season.
With that in mind, could the Leafs nab another promising young forward from the Nashville Predators before the 2025-26 NHL regular season begins as well? Apparently, talks between the Predators and forward Luke Evangelista have stalled as they remain far apart in terms of contract term. So should the Maple Leafs swoop in and take a stab at this blooming young talent with upside?
Should the Maple Leafs target this Nashville Predators forward?
After all, Evangelista was a standout in juniors, putting up a whopping 55 goals and 111 points in just 62 games during his final year with the London Knights. Selected by the Predators early in the second round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the 23-year-old winger made his debut with Nashville during the 2022-23 season. That year, Evangelista impressed by recording seven goals, eight assists for 15 points in just 24 games played to finish off the year with the club.
In his subsequent seasons, Evangelista has put up back-to-back 10-plus goals and 30-plus points campaigns with the Predators despite averaging just under 14 minutes a night. In doing so, he played a key role in helping the team reach the playoffs for the ninth time in ten years in 2023-24. With a career CF percentage of over 54 percent, Evangelista has certainly helped drive play whenever he has taken the ice.
Being born in Toronto, Ontario, it would certainly be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the 23-year-old to return to his stomping grounds and play in front of the hometown fans. Evangelista could fit in anywhere in the Leafs’ middle six to provide some much-needed secondary scoring to help fill some of the void left by the departed Mitch Marner.
Or, the Maple Leafs could even dangle him on the top line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies to see if it could finally unlock his full potential at the NHL level.
Whatever it may turn out to be, recruiting Evangelista to the Leafs roster could make for an intriguing add for the club going forward. The core is definitely set in place, but it will be these potential low-risk, high-reward options that could take the team to the next level.