Penguins acquire Philip Tomasino from Predators

The Penguins announced Monday that they have acquired a forward Philip Tomasino from the Predators in exchange for the Rangers’ 2027 fourth-round pick. Center assigned to Pittsburgh Samuel Poulin to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton minutes earlier in a corresponding trade to make room on the active roster.

Tomasino, still just 23 years old, is getting a fresh start in Pittsburgh after his minutes and overall usage were severely limited in Nashville since the Preds drafted him 24th overall in the 2019 draft. The team confirmed he is en route to Pittsburgh and will practice tomorrow in hopes of being available for their next game, a game on Wednesday against the Canucks.

While Tomasino was often an effective player scoring high points per hour in his first three NHL seasons, the same cannot be said for 2024-25. The Ontario native struggled on a Nashville team that struggled to finish at 5-on-5. He provided just one assist in 11 games, while his per game average reached the lowest level of his career at 11:18.

Tomasino has remained on the Preds’ roster so far this season after serving extended AHL stints in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, although that was likely out of fear of losing him for nothing due to waivers. This is his first season off waivers. Instead, they get at least one asset in return, even if it’s just a mid-round pick that’s still years away.

The 6-foot-2 winger was a healthy scratch in 10 of 21 games this season, including seven straight between Oct. 19 and Nov. 6. He was also a scratch in two of Nashville’s last three games.

Given this lack of usage, it’s not at all surprising that the Preds are now completely under the general manager’s control Barry Defiance after over 20 years David Poile Once he was at the top, he decided now was the right time to leave Tomasino before his value fell even further. He still hasn’t come close to matching his career highs of 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games that he set in his rookie season in 2021-22, despite averaging less than 12 minutes a night.

Still, it stands to reason for Pittsburgh that Tomasino’s game offers significant rebound and breakout potential if used in a top-nine role. The forward has scored 23 goals and 71 points in 159 games over his four-year career – an average of 12 goals and 37 points over 82 games straight into the final six games.

Throughout his Predators career, Tomasino’s impact on possession was negligible. He has a career +1 rating and Nashville has controlled 49.6% of shot attempts with him on the ice at even strength since his debut, compared to 48.7% without him.

More to come…