Penguins Place Newly Acquired Defenseman On Waivers For Purpose Of Contract Termination

After just six days, it appears the Pittsburgh Penguins are cutting ties with their newest player. 

On Monday, the Penguins placed newly-acquired defenseman Egor Zamula on waivers for the purpose of contract termination. This comes less than a week after Pittsburgh acquired the 25-year-old from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Philip Tomasino and just three days after the team suspended him for failing to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), their AHL affiliate. 

Once Zamula clears waivers, the Penguins will no longer be responsible for Zamula's $1.7 million that he is owed this season, and he would be eligible to sign a new deal with any organization. 

The 6-foot-3, 201-pound blueliner from Chelyabinsk, Russia went undrafted after spending four seasons in the WHL between the Regina Pats and Calgary Hitmen. He joined the Flyers' organization in the 2020-21 season and spent parts of six seasons with the team, registering eight goals and 41 points in 168 career NHL games. 

Penguins Suspend Newly Acquired DefensemanIf fans have been paying attention to the

Zamula - reportedly - had no interest in playing at the AHL level this season, and according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas was aware this was a possibility when Zamula was acquired. And with the trade shedding Tomasino's NHL cap hit - he was playing in WBS at the time - plus Zamula's, Pittsburgh has gained $3.45 million in cap space and will be $21.65 million below the cap, according to Puckpedia. 

Pittsburgh has won five straight games and sits in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They next face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. 

Takeaways: Penguins Roar Back From Three-Goal Deficit, Beat Blue Jackets In OTThe Pittsburgh Penguins extended their winning streak to five games in dramatic fashion against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which is just another indication that this team may be better than anyone thought.

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