Penguins acquire former first-round pick from Predators

Tomasino, still only 23, gets a fresh start in Pittsburgh after having his minutes and overall usage heavily restricted in Nashville ever since the Preds drafted him 24th overall in the 2019 draft. The team confirmed he’s en route to Pittsburgh and will practice Tuesday in hopes of being available for their next game, a Wednesday tilt against the Canucks.

While Tomasino had often been an effective points-per-hour depth piece throughout his first three NHL seasons, the same can’t be said for 2024-25. The Ontario native has struggled on a Nashville team that’s had trouble finishing at 5-on-5, posting just one assist in 11 games while averaging a career-low 11:18 per game.

Tomasino had stuck around on the Preds’ roster so far this season after seeing lengthy AHL assignments in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, although that was likely out of fear over losing him on waivers for nothing. This is his first season not being waiver-exempt. Instead, they at least get one asset in return, even if it’s only a mid-round pick that’s years away.

The 6’0″ winger had been a healthy scratch in 10 of 21 games this season, including seven straight games between Oct. 19 and Nov. 6. He’d also been scratched in two out of Nashville’s last three games.

Given that lack of usage, it’s not surprising that the Preds, now fully under the control of general manager Barry Trotz after 20-plus years of David Poile at the helm, decided now was the right time to move on from Tomasino. He still hasn’t come close to sniffing his career-highs of 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games that he set in his rookie campaign in 2021-22.

Still, it stands to reason for Pittsburgh that there’s a fair amount of rebound and breakout potential in Tomasino’s game if he’s deployed in a top-nine role. The forward has 23 goals and 71 points in 159 games over his four-year career – a 12-goal, 37-point average over 82 games squarely in bottom-six usage.

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

With the Pens’ offense struggling to click at 2.52 goals per game, Tomasino may get a look in the top nine or even top six alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin to see how he responds in a complementary role. His leash will likely be short. He signed a one-year, $825K deal at the beginning of training camp to end a months-long standoff as a restricted free agent, so he’s at risk of being non-tendered next summer if he can’t perform in Pittsburgh, especially since he’s eligible to file for salary arbitration.

Pittsburgh previously acquired the Rangers’ 2027 fourth-rounder at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for defenseman Chad Ruhwedel.