The Pittsburgh Penguins placed defenseman Egor Zamula on waivers Monday for the purpose of terminating his contract.

Zamula was acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers for Philip Tomasino on Dec. 31 but failed to report to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton afterward. He was issued a suspension letter by the Penguins over the weekend. The 25-year-old previously passed through waivers unclaimed earlier this season and is seeking another NHL opportunity.

Zamula will become an unrestricted free agent if he goes unclaimed by 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

According to league sources, there are multiple NHL teams with interest in the left-shot defenseman, who can sign a pro-rated cap hit worth more than half as much as the $1.7 million deal he’s due to have terminated. It’s effectively the same strategy used earlier this season by forwards David Kämpf and Alexandre Texier, who landed with the Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens, respectively, after having contracts terminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues.

Zamula spent parts of six seasons with the Flyers but produced just one assist in 13 games this season. He played three games for AHL Lehigh Valley, as well. A smooth skater with good puck skills, Zamula is still developing his offensive game at the NHL level. But at 6 feet, 3 inches, he has an appealing set of tools, especially on a team-friendly contract.

Zamula is effectively walking away from about $800,000 in guaranteed salary by allowing his contract to be terminated now. While it’s not technically a “mutual contract termination,” there is generally an understanding between all parties in a situation like this one. The process involves the player breaching his contract by not showing up for work at a scheduled time before being issued a suspension letter.

The team can then cite that breach as cause to terminate his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Zamula originally signed with Philadelphia in 2018 as an undrafted free agent out of the Canadian Hockey League. In 168 career NHL games, all with the Flyers, he has eight goals and 41 points.

What does this mean for the Penguins?

The Penguins weren’t blindsided by Zamula’s decision not to report to their AHL affiliate following the trade from Philadelphia. It was apparent that he’d been promised a full-time NHL opportunity elsewhere if he terminated his contract and accepted a lower salary.

Still, all is not lost for Pittsburgh in the transaction — far from it.

The Tomasino trade and Zamula contract termination nets out to roughly $1 million in cash savings for the Penguins, which will give the team added budget flexibility later in the season. They’ll also recoup a contract slot, leaving them three openings under the NHL’s 50-contract limit.

Further, it frees up another lane for one of the organization’s emerging options on the blue line. — Johnston

Penguins perspective

As Chris touched on above, this isn’t some heartbreaking day for the Penguins. In fact, they knew very well this could happen.

They liked Zamula well enough but were very much ready to give Tomasino a fresh start elsewhere. He showed flashes of potential last season but has looked lost at the NHL level during this season. The former first-round pick was decidedly not going to be part of their future. Giving him a chance to succeed elsewhere in return for an asset was something that appealed to them.

The Penguins like Zamula as a player and were happy to add him to their organization even though the left side of their blue line — believed to be a major weakness entering the season — has actually been a strength because of strong play from Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea. The Penguins have reason to be equally pleased that things have gone in this direction. That extra slotted contract is a big deal to them. They also hack another $1 million of their books, which is helpful on multiple fronts: The Penguins are currently in a playoff spot and conceivably could look to add a piece before the deadline. This will give them more flexibility.

Also, the Penguins are near the league basement in attendance this season and are in the middle of an ownership change. Saving $1 million is hardly a big deal, but it doesn’t hurt.

While Pittsburgh is hopeful to make a playoff push this spring, the real work for general manager Kyle Dubas begins in the summer of 2026, when the Penguins figure to have more than $50 million in cap space and an enormous amount of draft picks at their disposal. With or without Zamula, that is the goal, and this situation frees them even more to get aggressive this summer. — Yohe