Penguins Tank? How Sour Season Affects One Young Pens Player

As coach Mike Sullivan said this week, the plight of the Pittsburgh Penguins has not been easy for anyone in the organization. We wondered, though, how the season that has fallen apart might affect the younger players — their development, their psyche.

Specifically, PHN reached out to winger Phil Tomasino, a walking bundle of enthusiasm much of the time who joined the Penguins in November in a trade with the Nashville Predators. In fact, he said when he arrived in Pittsburgh that he wanted to be a sparkplug for the team.

Tomasino is 23, has nine goals and 17 points in 44 games, and has shown some signs of blossoming or at least starting to justify his pedigree as a first-round draft pick in 2019. He has scored in each of the past two games. Before the trade, he had just one assist in 11 games with the Predators.

The Penguins’ collapse would seem to potentially be a whammy to the development of a young player with a decent upside, at least emotionally. Tomasino understands that concept, but he swears that is not the case. In fact, he is practically forcing himself to remain positive, noting that “we’re trying not to let that affect us.”

That would seem to be a monumental task for a team whose playoff hopes have died a painful death with several weeks left to play.

“Everything’s difficult, but you can always look at everything through a positive lens as well,” Tomasino said, pointing to the Penguins’ first three games after the NHL break, all losses.

“I think maybe we deserved better than the results show. Obviously, there have been games that I think we know we’re a lot better than (we showed). If we play the way we’re capable, we have a good chance against every team in this league.

“Obviously, it’s difficult, but we still believe in this group.”

It’s the group that, for Tomasino, has kept him from sliding into a funk over the Penguins’ plight. Hey, none of us really knows what it’s like in the locker room and off the ice. Tomasino pulled back the curtain.

“Honestly, I think our group, ever since I’ve been here, has been awesome,” he said. “It’s been positive the whole time; whether we’re winning every game or we’re on a losing streak, every day, it’s kind of the same mindset for us.

“We’re playing in the NHL. We’re doing what we love for a living. We’re all happy to be here. I think we all know what we’re capable of. We’re all trying to support each other. We’re all in this together.

“I don’t think there’s anything good from looking back on the negative. Just focus on the future.”

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said it can work both ways in terms of who keeps things as upbeat as possible.

“Can we get a level of enthusiasm from our younger players? For sure, and that’s what should happen,” Sullivan said. “I also think we need a level of enthusiasm from our veteran players. In my experience, when you have that mix of youthful vigor and veteran presence, that’s a great combination, and one helps the other.”

A desired combination, but one that hasn’t translated to enough success for the Penguins, who almost assuredly will miss the playoffs for the third straight spring, and this time after a chase that is not expected to come down to the wire as it did the past two seasons.

This probably won’t shock many people, but there is one veteran in the Penguins locker room who has inspired Tomasino more than any others.

That’s team captain and future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby.

“Just how hard he works. On and off the ice, he’s just so competitive but so dedicated to the game,” said Tomasino, who grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, following the Penguins and idolizing Crosby.

“And, obviously, he’s one of the best to ever do it. For me, it’s been really cool to see that first-hand. He’s a guy I’ve looked up to my whole life. Just kind of enjoying every moment with him. But just how competitive he is and how much he wants to win, I think that’s something that (affects) the rest of the guys as well.

“Whenever it’s a guy of that caliber as a person and as a player, it’s incredible. It’s awesome to have him as a guy we can all look up to. It’s been awesome.

“Whenever he talks, everyone listens. He definitely drives our group.”

And, despite a season to forget, it helps drive Tomasino to keep his career on track.