Penguins notebook: Tomasino arrives in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s newest Penguin came to town to practice on Tuesday.

Forward Philip Tomasino, acquired Monday from the Nashville Predators for a 2027 fourth-round pickwas in full gear for the Penguins during their off-day practice at the Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry on Tuesday.

And it goes without saying that Tomasino is excited to be in Pittsburgh and turning the page on a new chapter.

“I think everything happens for a reason,” Tomasino said. “I’m happy 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 it’s a great opportunity for I’m really excited to be here, and I’m excited for the rest of the year.”

Tomasino, wearing number. 53, saw some work on the second unit on the power play, but the biggest development in his training was having the opportunity to skate on a line with Evgeni Malkin – one of his childhood heroes.

“Yes, he’s a legend,” Tomasino said. “I mean, honestly, Pittsburgh was my favorite team growing up, so watching Sid and Geno was my whole childhood. So it’s kind of crazy to be in a line with him today. It’s great. Another guy I looked up to and a hell of a player.”

Cody glass forward – who, along with forward Blake Lizotte, made full contact for the first time during his concussion protocol – is a former teammate and linemate of Tomasino from their time together in Nashville.

Glass is excited to help his new teammate acclimate on and off the ice, saying he called Tomasino “right away” when he heard the news from another former teammate.

“He’s a great guy,” Glass said. “He’s young, energetic. He and I get along really well, he’s one of my best friends in Nashville, so it’s pretty cool that he can come to Pittsburgh with me. He plays a great game Very skilled offensive player, good speed, strong with the puck, so I’m looking forward to seeing him. A had a lot of fun playing with him, so it’s pretty cool that he’s here.

Head coach Mike Sullivan said he had extensive discussions with General Manager and POHO Kyle Dubas on what Tomasino can bring to the lineup, and he hopes a change of scenery can benefit the 23-year-old forward.

“First of all, he’s a young player who has a lot of potential moving forward,” Sullivan said. “Sometimes in a different environment players can find their respective games and thrive. So the fact that he was drafted as high as he was, he’s still a very young player and showed a some ability to be an impact player in this league.”

He added: “From our point of view, I think we are achieving a lot of our own goals in trying to evolve this team towards bringing in younger players and trying to do everything we can to become more competitive. “

The Penguins plan to introduce Tomasino into the lineup when they face the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Some other notes from Tuesday’s practice:

– There was a lot of work on special teams in the second half of practice. The Penguins’ shorthanded offense gave up three goals to Utah on Saturday, and much of the power play drills in practice focused on positioning and pressure for the shorthanded unit.

Glass and Lizotte participated in the shorthanded rotation, with Lizotte working on the top unit alongside Noel Acciari.

– The trios and pairs for Wednesday’s match could become a little more precise:

After working with Jack St. Ivany during Monday’s practice, Owen Pickering was moved back into the top pairing with Kris Letang. Additionally, Puustinen and Puljujarvi were the few men absent. They both wore white jerseys throughout the entire practice.

And that led to the later announcement that Puustinen had been placed on waivers:

In 10 games with the Penguins this season, Puustinen has one goal and one assist.

– Glass gave me yet another update regarding his dispute with Pickering, which escalated last week when Pickering blew the whistle on Glass bothering him about the socks he wears to the gym.

The saga “Cody Glass v. Owen Pickering” began. I will do justice to the investigative journalism and provide these very important updates as they come.