Young Pittsburgh Penguins player Valterri Puustinen was recently placed on waivers on Tuesday. Puustinen was in the beginning of what was going to be his second full season in the NHL and with the Pens. He was a seventh round pick back in 2019 and has been a decent player for a team with not much prospect talent.
Valtteri Puustinen Put On Waivers
This past season, he had five goals and a total of 20 points in 52 games. However, he was more known for his defensive abilities and physicality as he had 40 hits, 33 blocked shots, and 19 giveaways. He is also an incredible skater which helped him make an impact on the penalty kill. Due to his speed and physicality, he instantly became a fan favorite despite not much offensive upside.
The Penguins this past off-season brought in tons of forwards via trade and free agency to improve the bottom-six and go back to competing. Puustinen’s spot in the starting lineup and roster was not a guarantee, but after a successful preseason, he earned it. In the sixth preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Puustinen had a solid game logging a goal in that matchup.
This season, he has appeared in just ten games this year and he has not been that impressive. He has just one goal and an assist for a total of two points. However, his one goal this season was on the power play.
On the other hand, his defense, which he is known for, has not been stellar either. He possesses just five hits so far on the young season. Also, he is not taking care of the puck or taking it away as he has three giveaways and three takeaways.
Who Steps Up In Puustinen’s absence?
Unfortunately the Puustinen era in Pittsburgh is most likely over whether he gets moved to another team or sent down to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. However, the million dollar question is who will take his spot in the rotation now. The most likely answer is newest Penguin Phillip Tomasino, who came over from the Nashville Predators, Tomasino was recently acquired by the Penguins just a few days ago for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
In Tuesday’s practice, Tomasino was working on the second line right wing playing alongside Anthony Beauvillier and Evgeni Malkin. It is to be determined how he will play, but playing alongside Malkin should help him offensively.
Tomasino is a former first-round pick back in 2019. He spent the past four seasons with the Predators. Offensively, Tomasino’s best season came in his first NHL campaign back in 2021-22. He had 11 goals and a total of 32 points. On the defensive end, he also had 49 hits and 28 blocked shots.
Tomasino’s Future Plans?
This past season, he had an alright season as he had seven goals and 13 assists. However, he’s also struggled on the defensive end.
Despite it being early in the season, he has not looked good as he had just one assist in 11 games and zero goals. However, now he gets a chance to redeem himself with the Penguins and on the second line. His Penguins debut will come at home on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
At the end of the season, Tomasino is a restricted free agent. If he plays well, the Penguins can decide whether to trade him right before the deadline to a contender that can use him, or decide to keep him and re-sign him to a new contract. Either way, acquiring him was a low risk, high reward move for the Penguins.
Especially considering the draft pick the Penguins sent the Predators was the draft pick they got from the New York Rangers last season for defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. At the end of the day, the Penguins essentially traded an aging defenceman for a potentially promising young player.
Main photo by: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
