Danny Briere has done it again — and it’s only slightly tongue-in-cheek.
The Philadelphia Flyers acquired former first-round pick Philip Tomasino from the Pittsburgh Penguins last week for disgruntled defenseman Egor Zamula. Zamula had fallen out of favor in Philadelphia under Rick Tocchet and changed his representation in an attempt to facilitate a contract termination.
Briere and the Flyers didn’t give in to Zamula’s demands, though, insisting that they would be able to trade the defenseman, even after he passed through waivers.
The Flyers trading with a team like the Penguins always raises some eyebrows, and it appears as if Philadelphia is getting the last laugh.
Penguins to terminate Egor Zamula’s contract
Zamula failed to report to the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over the weekend, resulting in him being suspended. Now, two days later, it looks like Zamula will finally get what he wants in a contract termination.
Expecting 25 y/o D Zamula to be on waivers today for purposes of contract termination.
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) January 5, 2026
After being acquired by #Letsgopens he did not report to AHL.
Sounds like there’s interest from multiple teams on a new deal and he’ll sign elsewhere.
He’s in the final year of a 1.7M cap…
The Flyers easily could’ve done the same for Zamula, but Briere held strong and ended up getting an asset from the Penguins essentially for free. And although Tomasino hasn’t stuck in the NHL, he’s been very good in the AHL, and the Flyers have shown that they’re willing to give guys a chance if they earn it (see: Grundstrom, Carl).
Flyers add former first-round pick for free
It’s a bit curious as to why the Penguins were willing to make this trade. Perhaps they simply didn’t check with Zamula’s camp to see if he would play there, or maybe they knew this would happen all along and just wanted the salary cap savings.
But why trade Tomasino?
He had 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists) in 14 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this year, and had a respectable 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 50 games with Pittsburgh after being acquired last season.
The 24th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft made his Phantoms debut over the weekend, putting up an assist in his second game with the team on Sunday in Toronto. Tomasino has been effective in the AHL throughout his career with 98 points (41 goals, 57 assists) in 105 games.
Asset management is incredibly important in the NHL, and you never know what these players can turn into with a change of scenery. Briere and the Flyers being able to land someone with the skill like Tomasino from a rival for essentially nothing may ultimately result in Tomasino fizzling out as he did in Nashville and Pittsburgh, but getting an asset for free is always a win.
