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Can You Really Blame Egor Zamula for Refusing to Report to the Penguins Organization?
Published:
The Flyers recently waived defenseman Egor Zamula, who cleared and was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for 24-year-old winger Philip Tomasino.
Tomasino reported to the Lehigh Valley but Zamula is telling the Yinzers “nah I’m good” (paraphrasing) –
Maybe it’s having to play for the Penguins organ-I-zation, or maybe it’s having to work in Wilkes-Barre. Heyo! Luzerne County is lovely this time of the year, but it’s no Allentown. And if Zamula really bought in and worked his butt off with a chance to return to the NHL, then his reward would be a Pittsburgh team that’s just sort of treading water with an aging core.
So I don’t blame him for refusing to report. Maybe he’s trying to get his contract terminated.
Josh Yohe covers the Penguinos at The Athletic:
If he (Zamula) against it, that’s OK with the Penguins, too. His exclusion would open even more budget space for a franchise that’s already rolling in it and would open a roster slot, something the team considers quite valuable.
A team source referred to it as a “win-win” in either direction.
The Penguins are 5th in the Metro but aren’t going anywhere. They haven’t won a playoff series since Trump’s first term and they’re in a little bit of denial that the golden era of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is over. The Flyers, however, are emerging from the rebuild and will soon be a Cup contender!
(shout out to all of our readers in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, we appreciate you).
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com