The Ottawa Senators are truly embracing their ‘next man up’ mentality. On Saturday night in San Jose, the next man up was forward Philip Tomasino, who made his season debut with the club after injuries to Warren Foegele and André Burakovsky. On a newly formed second line with centre Shane Pinto and right winger Drake Batherson, Tomasino had Senators fans (and probably the coaching staff, too) wondering why the call-up took so long to happen.
Recalled from the Belleville Senators just one day prior, the 25-year-old wasted little time making an impression in his first game as an Ottawa Senator. In just his first couple of shifts, his speed, offensive awareness and hockey IQ were evident. It’s something that the Senators really haven’t seen in off-season acquisition André Burakovsky, who has struggled to find his footing in Ottawa’s system.
An unfortunate injury leads to a new opportunity
Burakovsky has been battling injuries so far this season but has played eight games for the nation’s capital. In that small sample size, he has no points and a total of three shots. In Tomasino’s even smaller sample size of just one game and a total 12:10 of ice time, he’s already surpassed the injured forward’s on-ice contributions.
Early in the second period, Tomasino set up Drake Batherson, who beat Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to give the Senators a 2-1 lead. The chemistry between Batherson and Tomasino on this line continued to build throughout the game and will be exciting to watch again tonight as the top-six forward lines are expected to stay the same. Tomasino finished the game with an assist, two shots and four shot attempts.
First point as an Ottawa Senator for Philip Tomasino! 👏👏#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/75YWb6sA09
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) October 31, 2026
This shouldn’t surprise Senators fans or the organization because Tomasino was selected 24th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2019 NHL Draft. In his junior career with the Niaagra IceDogs and Oshawa Generals, Tomasino was projected to be a top-six winger in the NHL or a serviceable forward at bare minimum due to his on-ice play and 172 points in the Ontario Hockey League over just 129 games in his last three seasons. His rookie season with the Predators showed promise, but Tomasino struggled to establish himself into a consistent roster spot.
A fresh start
After spending time with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers organizations, Tomasino signed with the Senators this past off-season in hopes of showing what he is capable of. In his first ten games with Belleville, Tomasino proved to once again be a point-per-game player with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists). It is safe to say that he was definitely deserving of this chance with the team’s big club.
The Senators have some holes in their lineup due to injury and needed someone capable of contributing to the team’s offense immediately. Lucky for the Senators, Tomasino has delivered. Although this one performance doesn’t guarantee him a permanent roster spot, the injuries have guaranteed him some extra opportunities to show how this roster needs his speed, forecheck and offensive production.
Tomasino has been given an opportunity to prove he belongs at the NHL level. It’s time for him to continue to shine and show that the Ottawa Senators may be his perfect match. The Senators are set to take on the Anaheim Ducks in the second half of their fourth back-to-back so far this season. Although most of the lines are expected to stay the same, goaltender Jonas Johansson is expected to start in goal after Linus Ullmark remains injured and backup goalie Samuel Ersson cruised the team to a 5-1 victory over the Sharks last night.
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