Philip Tomasino was traded to Pittsburgh Penguins by the Nashville Predators on Monday for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
The 23-year-old forward practiced with the Penguins on Tuesday, skating on the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Beauvillier. Tomasino signed a one-year, $825,000 contract with the Predators on Sept. 18 and can be a restricted free agent after this season.
“I think everything happens for a reason,” Tomasino said Tuesday. “I'm glad to be here. I don't even want to say too much about what happened in Nashville, 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."
Tomasino is expected to make his debut with Pittsburgh (7-12-4) when it hosts the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, SNP).
Tomasino has one assist in 11 games after getting 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 41 games last season. He had 18 points (11 goals, seven assists) for Milwaukee of the American Hockey League, helping it reach the Western Conference Finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Nashville's first-round pick (No. 24) at the 2019 NHL Draft, he has 71 points (23 goals, 48 assists) in 159 NHL games.
"It's been unique,” Tomasino said. “I don't even know how to describe it. Just exciting. Obviously, 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, so looking forward to tomorrow night here."
The Penguins have lost eight of their past 10 games (2-5-3) and are last in the Metropolitan Division.
“I think I can try to use my speed here,” Tomasino said. “Obviously, don't know too much about what's been going on here, but obviously, we had kind of a similar thing in Nashville. For me, all I want to focus on is doing all I can to help the team win; I mean, be a guy our coach can trust in any situation. I think my game is more on the offensive side, I think. I think that's where I can use my speed and help generate chances off the rush. I think it can definitely be a spark plug for this group."
Pittsburgh reassigned forward Sam Poulin to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.
NHL.com independent correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this report
