The writing was on the wall for Egor Zamula for quite some time. With no roster spot in sight and a demotion to the AHL, Zamula had likely played his last game for the Flyers.
And it didn't take long for Philadelphia to make that official. In a rare trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers sent Egor Zamula to the Penguins for forward Philip Tomasino. It's a minor league trade, so the two teams making the deal isn't as significant as it could be. But it's still an eye raiser to see them swap players nonetheless.
TRADE ALERT: We have acquired forward Philip Tomasino from Pittsburgh in exchange for defenseman Egor Zamula. Tomasino will report to the @LVPhantoms (AHL). https://t.co/Y5euAzx0o7
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 31, 2025
There were many factors that led to the end of Zamula's tenure with the Flyers. A lot of it had to do with his inconsistent play and his inability to correct costly mistakes. When Ty Murchison was called up, subsequently making his NHL debut over a healthy Zamula, that was the real sign that things were trending toward the end.
Murchison ended up impressing in a small sample size, but the fact that the Flyers trusted him over Zamula said everything that needed to be said. A fresh start elsewhere was much needed at this point. With the Flyers trending in the right direction and the addition of more defensive talent in the pipeline, Zamula had been jumped on the depth chart by too many players. There were rumors that a contract termination could've been on the table, but it's better to get any kind of asset than lose a player for nothing.
Flyers hoping for resurgance with Tomasino acquisition
Similar things could be said about Tomasino. He came to the Penguins in a trade from Nashville two years ago and impressed during his first season. He had 11 goals and 23 points, his best totals since his rookie season with the Predators in 2021-22. This season has been a different story. While he's been a top offensive contributor for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL, he hasn't been able to establish himself in the NHL.
He will add much-needed offensive talent to a Phantoms team that has lost most of its top players. Denver Barkey and Carl Grandstrom are with the Flyers, Alex Bump is injured, and Anthony Richard is playing for Canada at the Spengler Cup. Tomasino instantly becomes the Phantoms' second leading scorer because of it.
He adds more depth at center, even if he hasn't primarily played the position. He hasn't had much success at faceoffs, coming in with a career 36.6 percent at the dot. The sample size is small, though. Tomasino only took four faceoffs in his nine games this season and 112 in 218 career games.
He will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season and holds arbitration rights. So the next few months will be an audition for him to try to crack the Flyers roster. Danny Briere has hit recently on redemption pieces, none bigger than Trevor Zegras. Philadelphia hasn't been afraid to try and acquire young talent and see if a change of scenery can turn things around.
The hope is that he can find his game and be an NHL option down the line. If anything else, he should provide value to the Phantoms.