It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.
Maybe apples-to-hot dogs.
But the Pittsburgh Penguins traded for a right winger named Phil who is looking for a fresh start.
In 2015, they brought in All-Star forward Phil Kessel, and that maneuver led to two Stanley Cup banners as well as countless memes about processed meat.
More than nine years later, Philip Tomasino is in a somewhat similar — but far from identical — scenario.
He wants — needs, really — a reset on his once-promising career, and he will get an opportunity to do that with the Penguins.
A first-round pick (No. 24 overall) in 2019 by the Nashville Predators, Tomasino never gained sufficient traction in meeting expectations with that organization and was dealt to the Penguins on Monday in exchange for a fourth-round draft selection in 2027.
“I don’t even know how to describe it,” Tomasino said after his first practice with his new team Tuesday in Cranberry. “Just exciting. I’ve been in Nashville since Day 1. Obviously, it feels a little bit different. I’m really excited, man. It’s a great place to play. I’ve always loved playing here on the road. Looking forward to (Wednesday) night here.”
The new guy in town caught up with @PensInsideScoop!
Tomasino: "I'm really excited. It's a great place to play. I've always loved playing here on the road. So, looking forward to tomorrow night."
Read more: https://t.co/9stzMU1w2K pic.twitter.com/QTNKpZmY3O
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 26, 2024
Expected to make his Penguins debut in Wednesday’s home contest against the Vancouver Canucks, Tomasino appears to be looking strictly forward. He politely declined — twice — to discuss his past with the Predators on Tuesday.
Last season, Predators coach Andrew Brunette offered fairly blunt critiques of Tomasino, who was in and out of that team’s lineup.
“The little things that plague him a little bit, the structures and details of our system, are glaring at times,” Brunette said to the Nashville Tennessean in February. “So you don’t feel completely comfortable and confident in games that are tight.
“He’s gotten much better as the season has progressed, but for us to lean on him late in games, he needs to find another level. He has to earn that trust.”
Before Monday’s trade, Brunette had scratched the right-handed Tomasino for 10 of that team’s first 21 games.
“I don’t even want to say too much about what happened in Nashville,” Tomasino said. “But all I can say is, obviously, I think this is a great opportunity for me. Really excited to be here, and I’m excited for the rest of the year.”
His excitement Tuesday was partially because of skating on the right wing of a line with superstar center Evgeni Malkin during practice.
A native of Mississauga, Ont., the 23-year-old Tomasino (6-foot, 179 pounds) was a fan of Malkin and the Penguins well before becoming a teammate.
“Yeah, he’s a legend,” Tomasino said. “I mean, honestly, Pittsburgh was my favorite team growing up, so watching (Sidney Crosby and Malkin) was like my whole childhood. So it’s kind of crazy to be on a line with him today. It’s awesome. Another guy I’ve looked up to and a heck of a player. I’m just going to try to do everything I can to help him and help this team.”
One member of the Penguins’ roster who is a bit more familiar with Tomasino than others is forward Cody Glass, whom the Penguins acquired in a trade with the Predators in August.
“Nashville, they play high pace, high tempo,” Glass said. “In here, we want to play a little bit more structured. It will be a little bit of a change, but he’s a pretty smart player. High IQ. It will probably take him no time to get used to it.”
Management seems to be willing to give Tomasino plenty of time to adjust to his new surroundings given the franchise’s overall pursuit of younger players with skilled pedigrees.
“Sometimes, in a different environment, players can find their respective games and thrive,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s still a very young player and has shown some capacity, I think, to be an impact player in this league.
“From our standpoint, he meets a lot of our own objectives as far as trying to transition this team into bringing younger players into the fold and trying to do everything we can to become more competitive. From that standpoint, I think he meets a lot of the criteria that makes sense for where we’re at right now.”
Ideally, Tomasino gets back to where he was as a rookie in 2021-22 when he provided optimism by scoring a solid 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 76 games.
Since then, his production and playing time have decreased. This season, he has one assist in 11 games.
And a fresh start.
“I don’t want to talk too much about what happened there (with the Predators),” Tomasino said. “I’m just excited for this opportunity. I think it’s going to be really good for me. Like I said, just really excited.
“Obviously, the last two years for me haven’t been what I wanted it to be in a perfect world. But all I can look forward to is a future here.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
