I’ll say this. When Penguins POHO/GM Kyle Dubas makes a mistake (or a perceived one), he eventually finds a way to correct it. He’s much like former GM Jim Rutherford in that regard.
In his latest trade, Dubas flipped winger Philip Tomasino to the Flyers for defenseman Egor Zamula.
Both players had previously been waived by their now former clubs. Tomasino in November, Zamula in December.
Acquired from Nashville in November 2024 for a fourth-round pick, the former flashed some upside for the Pens with 11 goals and 23 points in 50 games following his arrival. However, the 24-year-old winger failed to gain traction this season (a lone assist in nine games) before being waived and re-assigned to the Baby Pens.
As for Zamula? A similar fate befell the rangy 6’3” 200-pound Russian after he appeared in 129 games over the previous two seasons with the Flyers. This season, he skated in 13 games for the orange-and-black and recorded an assist and a plus-4.
I confess, I know next-to-nothing about Zamula other than what I can glean from his stats and on-line scouting reports. Strengths are said to include vision, an active stick, and passing/playmaking skills. Shortcomings include skating/mobility issues and a lack of physicality.
Ironically, the deal comes at a time when the much-maligned left side of our defense seems to have stabilized with the addition of veteran Brett Kulak. Which means Zamula is likely ticketed for the Baby Pens for now.
Still, he adds another young (25) left-shot defenseman to the fold. And Tomasino obviously wasn’t part of the team’s future.
