Let’s Add a different “Phil” to the list
After Forsberg, the first player I naturally thought of this coaching change benefiting right out of the gate was Philip Tomasino.
Tomasino surprisingly didn’t even play half the amount of games in his second season in the NHL as he did his rookie season when he put up 32 points in 76 games. However, his point-per-game output did slightly improve from 0.42 to 0.58.
There’s going to be a lot of in-house competition for starting spots in training camp with Brunette looking to mold this lineup the way he sees fit. This means no one’s spot is safe, including the veterans, and also for Tomasino.
Tomasino started off the season, to the shock of many, in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals before eventually getting called up after Nashville went through so many injuries to their veterans, and also trades.
In Brunette’s more run-and-gun type of system that will benefit offensive players, Tomasino has a chance to really take off in his third year in the NHL. I’m unsure if he’ll immediately be in the starting lineup out of training camp, but I would expect Brunette to want him from the opening game.
I’m really looking for Tomasino’s assist numbers to spike up in Brunette’s system, and maybe he’ll even get some early looks on the power play. Needless to say, this is a major upcoming season for Tomasino to elevate to top-six status on a permanent basis.