We should see a hungrier Philip Tomasino at Nashville Predators training camp

On the doorstep of Nashville Predators training camp starting, the team was finally able to come to terms on a new contract for RFA Philip Tomasino.

The 23-year-old Tomasino is coming back for another season to the franchise that drafted him 24th-overall in 2019. The deal is one-way for $825,000, as reported by PuckPedia.

Naturally you have to wonder why it took so long to come to such an ordinary deal. There's probably multiple factors involved, including the Predators not having a ton of cap space to work with and also the surrounding trade rumors that were involved.

Either way, this is a great deal for the Predators to get Tomasino back for another year. Essentially a "prove it" year similar to Juuso Parssinen's one-year deal for $750,000 which was just signed 10 days prior.

Expect a hungry Tomasino at Nashville Predators training camp

Tomasino has a high ceiling and I don't think we've come anywhere close to the book being written on him. He has crazy raw talent and the probability of having a breakout year of sorts if he gets adequate playing time and proves to coaches that he deserves consistent starts.

Now it's not going to be easy for Tomasino to earn the favor of the coaches. The starting lineup is deep and full of guys that having starting roles that aren't in any danger. Let's forget about Tomasino in the top-six, because that's not happening unless the team becomes competely ravaged by injuries to their top core.

However, Tomasino is playing for a spot in the bottom-six on opening night of 2024-25 against the Dallas Stars. He is hands down my top player I'm watching in training camp to see how they perform. He has a lot to gain more so than arguably any other player in training camp.

Tomasino in many ways is in direct competition with Parssinen to see who gets the predominant amount of starts early in the season. I can see a scenario where the two players are swapped out regularly on the fourth line to see who performs better.

Can Tomasino flourish on the Predators' fourth line playing most likely the rugged duo of Michael McCarron at center and Cole Smith on the other wing? You can argue that this isn't a right fit for Tomasino, but where else can you really put him?

Where is Tomasino's fit in the starting lineup?

Luke Evangelista isn't going to get removed from the third line, and I love the idea of him playing with Colton Sissons at center. Those two should be able to build easy chemistry. On the left wing many think it will be Mark Jankowski, and there is a possibility that Tomasino could fit in there even though he's better on the right side.

A third line of Tomasino, Sissons and Evangelista is very intriguing and brings you some offensive upside to the bottom-six, but I also see value in keeping the veteran Jankowski in that spot.

Again, Tomasino has a lot to prove and play for to raise his stock in the organization in training camp. He should come out hungry and with a heightened energy level now that this contract negotiation stuff is behind him.

Tomasino has 148 NHL games for the Predators while tallying 70 points, As previously mentioned, he has by no means been a bust, which is why it's so perplexing for some fans as to why it was so complicated for the front office to invest in him more.

If Tomasino can really take off in 2024-25, he'll move up the lineup when the opportunities present themselves. Injuries are inevitable, and so is shuffling of the lineup when things aren't going smoothly.

If all goes according to plan and Tomasino has a breakout type of year for the Predators, then expect another more stable pay raise for Tomasino to drop before next offseason. This is the most preferred scenario, but we'll see if Tomasino is ready to take his game to a new level in 2024-25.