Less than an hour before the new CBA took effect, Sunny Mehta worked more of his magic! Mehta extended newly acquired Devil Luke Evangelista to a bonus-heavy contract that, as we sit here today, is no longer permitted by the NHL.
Evangelista agreed to a five-year extension at an AAV of $7.25m per year late Tuesday night. The "new Luke," who is an absolute analytics darling, further shores up the Devils' top six for years to come. The dynamic playmaker makes everyone on his line better and is also in the top fifth percentile as a defender. Pairing him up with Timo Meier and Nico Hischier on paper seems too good to be true. Already matching well to neutralize teams' top forward lines, Hischier now has a relentless pressurer in Evangelista to help complicate the game for opposing superstars. In addition, expect Meier to flourish from the high IQ and playmaking abilities that Evangelista has exhibited thus far.
Is the deal a gamble? Perhaps a bit, but a calculated one, as always, by the former poker pro and Devils GM Mehta. With all models already projecting the extension as a value, Mehta did leave himself with outs. Evangelista has no trade protection in his first two seasons of the extension (which starts in 2027-28), and a 7, 5, and 3-team NTC respectively over the final three campaigns.
Looking around the league and seeing contracts given to guys like Fraser Minten ($10.5m x 8), Justin Sourdif ($6.35m x 8), and Noah Östlund ($6.6m x 8), this is a major win for NJ. By the way, how great does that Nico extension look? Jack? Jesper? Gritsyuk? Even Timo and Luke 1.0's deals are looking mighty fine right now!
The Dylan Larkin Situation
A lot can be said about Dylan Larkin's handling of his current situation, which is open to debate. But let's take a look at what we know and why it makes sense for NJ to relentlessly kick tires on this player.
- Larkin is a point-per-game player.
- Larkin is a center (the most valued position in the game).
- Larkin is signed for five more seasons at just $8.7m per year.
- Larkin wants to play with Michigan and Team USA pal Quinn Hughes (I assume the feeling is mutual).
- Larkin has a great relationship with the entire Hughes family.
- Larkin would give the Devils either the best depth at center in the league and/or the ability to move Jack to the wing, which may preserve his body a bit more.
- Larkin has analytics that pop. While his defensive metrics have dropped the last two seasons (mostly attributed to the Red Wings' struggles), this is a player Mehta would certainly approve of.
So it's time to request the ability to speak to Larkin if the Devils haven't done so already. Staff, players and family members of players should be dancing on the lines of tampering—but of course, never stepping over them (wink, wink)—and sell Larkin on a future in NJ.