Youth Struggle: More on Tomasino Opportunity, Kolyachonok Battle (+)

CRANBERRY — It’s been a rocky road for Pittsburgh Penguins winger Philip Tomasino.

The Nashville Predators essentially cut bait with their 2019 first-round pick, shipping him to the Penguins for a mere fourth-round pick in November.

For their part, the Penguins prepared to endure the growth process if not metamorphosis with Tomasino. General manager Kyle Dubas publicly discussed the conversation he had with coach Mike Sullivan before making the deal. Dubas wanted to know if Sullivan could grant Tomasino the leeway to make mistakes and improve.

“Enough runway” was the phrase Dubas used on a team-hosted radio show.

Sullivan has not been shy in letting Tomasino know what is expected and the necessary improvements. On multiple occasions, Sullivan has publicly detailed the needed components for Tomasino’s improvement, too.

Those components largely center on his play away from the puck and being stiffer on the wall, but they didn’t stop there.

However, Tomasino has not been benched or removed from the lineup. Part of that achievement is his work ethic and earnest adoption of the task. And the other part is his progress.

Now he’s getting a big seat at the table by playing with Evgeni Malkin.

“I think we’ve had some pretty good chemistry so far, so it’s been really good,” Tomasino told PHN. “I think we’ve been a little snake-bitten, but I think we’ve had some good looks that haven’t gone in.”

Pittsburgh Hockey Now talked with both Tomasino and defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok about their current situations, opportunities, and battles.

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