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Blackhawks have opportunity to get younger and better with Tuesday's waiver placement by the Penguins
Photo credit: NHL.com
The Chicago Blackhawks have an opportunity to get younger by claiming this player off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
They should consider it, especially as the forward depth in the lineup isn't so stable.
According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the Pittsburgh Penguins have waived forward Philip Tomasino. Tomasino's tenure in Pittsburgh has been short-lived, playing only 59 games in the past two seasons.
This could spell bad news for Tomasino for his time with the Penguins, as the team nearly a year ago traded a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Nashville Predators for him.
The former 2019 1st-round draft pick could benefit from a change of scenery, and Chicago could be the optimal landing spot for the forward who hasn't been able to carve out a full-time role in the NHL.
The Chicago Blackhawks Could Add to forward depth with a waiver claim of Philip Tomasino
He had glowing reviews from The Athletic's Scott Wheeler:
The Athletic's Scott Wheeler ranked Tomasino No. 2 in the Predators' system in 2021, writing at the time that he saw «clear top-six upside» and a player who was a «multi-faceted play-driver» that could still find a way to impact games even without consistent puck touches.
The Blackhawks could utilize the young forward's talent to add to the forward depth in the lineup and give him a fresh start in the league.
In 2021-22, he scored a total of 32 points for the Predators (11-21) and seemed like he might live up to his billing.
He'd provide useful secondary scoring for the Predators on a run to the playoffs and would score a total of 38 points across his next 72 games in the NHL.
However, all that was promising about him ended as soon as he failed to provide a two-hundred-foot game for his coach.
Most damning of all were his lapses in defense for the Predators, which would cost him the trust of his relationship with Coach Andrew Brunette. He would see his ice time decrease compared to a year ago with John Hynes, where he played 15:36 and decreased to 12:34.
A coach like Jeff Blashill could help Tomasino turn his game around and give him a chance to thrive in a system that relieves players of their pressures and burdens.
Tomasino has shown promise before but never lived up to his true potential in either Nashville or Pittsburgh.
Thought the most glaring issue of all:
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Matt Vensel wrote earlier this month about how Muse had implored Tomasino to find a way to consistently «impact the game» and forge his own identity as a player at the NHL level.
The Blackhawks could help him forge his identity.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
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