Evangelista Happy to Return to Nashville, Excited to Help Preds Bounce Back This Season

There was a familiar face back on the ice at Centennial Sportsplex for Predators practice Monday morning.

Luke Evangelista, who inked a two-year, $6 million contract on Saturday to allow him to rejoin the club following his status as a restricted free agent, was donning Preds Gold once again, his No. 77 a welcomed sight as Opening Week in the NHL arrived.

The 23-year-old winger, who recorded 32 points (10g-22a) in 68 games with the Predators during the 2024-25 campaign, rotated in and out on a line with Fedor Svechkov and Steven Stamkos during Monday’s session.

And while Evangelista was designated non-roster while awaiting immigration, he simply couldn’t wipe the smile off his face Monday.

“It's good to be back and it’s good to see everyone again,” Evangelista said following Monday’s skate. “Good pace at practice today and good energy. It feels like a different energy than what I remember at the end of last year. I was really pleased with that, and just good to get the feet wet again; good to see everyone.”

“It was great to see him,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of Evangelista. “Obviously, really excited to have him, and I thought he looked good. His first day with us for a while, so we’ll take [it] day-to-day with him.”

Like all players, Evangelista was back home for a successful offseason of preparation which he called, "The best summer of my life, training-wise,” and he’s now eager to put that to the test with the rigors of life in the NHL.

“I switched up which gym I was working out at, started working with some new skills guys, switched up the nutrition a little bit and was super disciplined,” Evangelista said. “I knew I wanted to have a really good summer heading into this season. I was working on my skating a lot, shooting a lot, and just overall kind of speed, endurance, conditioning - I think that’s going to be really important for me this year. Hopefully [I can] play some more minutes and be able to keep that motor going throughout the shifts, and playing bigger minutes. So, that was a big focus for me this summer as well.”

Once September arrived, Evangelista was back in Nashville, first skating with former Preds defenseman Ryan Ellis for some 1-on-1 sessions before he went back home. From there, Evangelista worked with his skills coach before joining his former junior team, the OHL’s London Knights, for some practices.

But once the deal was signed, the Toronto native was on a plane back to Tennessee before waving to the Bridgestone Arena crowd on Saturday afternoon as the Preds took on the Hurricanes in the preseason finale.

“I mean, obviously no one wanted to go this long, myself included,” Evangelista said about contract negotiations. “I’m sure [the Preds] would say the same. But, right now, I'm just happy to be back, happy to put it behind me and focus on the season. What happened, happened. Can’t change anything now, and now I’m just putting all my mental energy towards helping the boys this year.”

Those efforts are now top of mind for Evangelista, and like the rest of his teammates, he’s eager to make amends for the way last season ultimately went. He may have missed training camp, but Evangelista can already sense a feeling of rejuvenation around the group, one he’s more than ready to help along.

“We needed a reset,” Evangelista said. “[The end of last season] had dragged on, and we had been out of the race for a while. It’s not the same energy and atmosphere when you're not playing competitive games in the last month or two of the season… Now, we’re right back in the race again… A good start is going to be really important for us. If you go back to last year, we had a slow start, and you're out of it before you know it. So, just bring that energy right off the bat.”

Regardless of when Evangelista does make his season debut for Nashville, one thing is for certain - the team finally feels complete heading into a new season that everyone can’t wait to begin.

“Just a fresh start…and we're in the hunt right away again,” Evangelista said. “I think right away for us to be back playing competitive games - like, every single game matters now. I think it's really important for us right off the hop to get a good start.”