The Penguins acquired defenseman Egor Zamula on Wednesday in a trade with the Flyers for minor league forward Philip Tomasino. Zamula has now been suspended by the Pens for a reported failure to report to the team’s
minor league affiliate in Wilkes-Barre.
The Tribune Review received confirmation from a team spokesman that the suspension is in place.
Prior to the trade, it was reported that Zamula was considering seeking a termination of his contract with Philadelphia so that he could become a free agent and presumably sign with a team that would play him in the NHL. Zamula (and his current $1.7 million cap hit) found no takers when the Flyers placed him on waivers in December.
Zamula got a new organization in last week’s trade, but it did not come with an immediate spot on the NHL roster and as of now it doesn’t look like he’s willing to go along with the Pens’ spot of putting him in the AHL. Pittsburgh certainly had to know this situation didn’t come out of complete left field and was a possibility when they acquired him.
As of now, the Pens could look to retain some of Zamula’s salary in a trade if there’s a team out there that might want to add him on a low cap hit in exchange for likely minimal compensation. Other teams could always sit tight and see if the contract gets terminated and they can pick up the player for free. That, of course, assumes there’s an interested market for a fringe player who recently got passed over on his current deal.
Overall, for the Pens, the trade might sort out for them to have cleared the salary and cash outlay to Tomasino. Tomasino played his way outside of the NHL, and Pittsburgh would have had to pay out his $1.75 million salary to play in the AHL for the rest of the season had they not moved him, being as no other teams claimed Tomasino on waivers when they had the chance in December. If nothing else happens, in essence they accomplished a goal of lowering their payroll costs by shipping Tomasino out and taking on the resolution of whatever comes next with Zamula as a way to get there.
