Luke Evangelista
Evangelista is a top-line right wing on the Devils this season, and the day-to-day wire note is the only thing that could interrupt that. I have not seen anything on its severity.
Role
Inside the Rink's projected lines for the 10/30 game at Vegas, published three days ago, had him on line 1 with Timo Meier and Nico Hischier. Its preview for the 10/27 game at Dallas listed the same trio as line 2, behind a Gritsyuk-Hughes-Bratt line. The same 10/30 preview put him on the first power-play unit with Bratt, Hischier, Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes. An ESPN line-combo page, seen only as a search snippet about 11 days old, also showed him on the first line and first power-play unit. I did not fetch Daily Faceoff or any live line page, so this comes from search results and not from a live read. I found no ice-time figures for this season, and I did not find who would take his spot if he missed time.
He plays the top-line right wing next to Hischier and Meier, and he is on the first power-play unit. A Hockey News piece from about five weeks ago called him the playmaker on that line. All About the Jersey argued that his defensive impact at Nashville makes the line a strong fit and that it could be among the best the Devils have iced in a decade. He also signed a five-year, $36.25 million extension on Sept. 15, so the club has committed to him.
The role is not locked in. The Hockey News noted he was still an unknown as a September addition and could have started on the third line, and it said line changes are possible later. It said coach Keefe could line-match, and that the Hughes line has a slower winger. The 10/27 preview had the Hischier line as the second line, which shows the top-six order moves from game to game. Last season's line in our data is 11 GP, 3 G, 5 A and 28 SOG, which is a small sample. The day-to-day note adds some near-term risk, and I found no update on it.
Where analysts split
The split is which center he plays with. Writers at Pucks and Pitchforks and All About the Jersey, both from the offseason, liked a pairing with Jack Hughes and thought Bratt was a poor stylistic fit. The Hischier-Meier line is what the club has actually used so far. Whether Keefe moves him next to Hughes later is the open question. I found no current analyst reporting that settles it.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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