When Devon Toews was injured earlier this month, it gave Ilya Solovyov another chance to solidify his spot as the No. 7 defenseman on the Avalanche.
While this stretch of games did create a lifetime memory for Solovyov with his first NHL goal, his future now lies elsewhere. The Avalanche traded Solovyov on Tuesday to the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft.
Solovyov, claimed on waivers four days before the season opener, had a goal and three points in 16 games for the Avs.
“We’ve got some guys down there that we really liked and have played well,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Like, Jack (Ahcan) has played really well for us. (Toews) is getting close. And I think sometimes long-term plans override just who we’re putting in for the next game or two.”
Ahcan played six games for the Avs earlier this season, replacing Solovyov in the lineup as the replacement for an injured Samuel Girard. Keaton Middleton played 41 games for the Avalanche last year, but was sent down when the club added Solovyov and hasn’t been back. Wyatt Aamodt played the final two games of last season with the Avs and could also be a consideration.
Whether or not Solovyov solidified his place as the No. 7 guy on the depth chart, the Avs were likely still to be in the market for a defenseman ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. Now, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the club tries to add two.
One player the Avs could add for nothing Wednesday morning is Vladislav Kolyachonok, who was put on waivers by the Boston Bruins. Kolyachonok is a year younger than Solovyov, but is also a 6-foot-2 left-shooting defenseman with 87 games of NHL experience.
He has played for four different NHL clubs in the past two seasons, including Boston and Dallas this year. The Avs are last in the waiver claim queue because of being first in the league standings, so they’d need every other team to pass on Kolyachonok to have a chance to claim him.
Colorado’s defense corps has been immense this season when the top-six guys are healthy. But even within those top six, four of them are right-handed, and three of them are small by NHL standards. Whether or not the Avs just try to add a defenseman or two ahead of the deadline as depth pieces, or actually take a swing at landing someone who could play every night — either pushing one of the current top six out of the lineup or onto another team in a trade — remains to be seen.
Bednar has previously identified a resolution at the No. 3 center position as the top item on his wishlist, but Ahcan, Middleton and Aamodt have combined to play in zero Stanley Cup Playoff games. A team with Cup or bust aspirations, particularly one that is considered a favorite to win this year, is very unlikely to enter the postseason this thin at that position.
As for the short-term roster situation, there was some good news Tuesday. Valeri Nichushkin, one day after being involved in a car accident en route to Ball Arena, practiced and worked out with his teammates.
“He seems to be good,” Bednar said. “He should play tomorrow.”
Toews and Joel Kiviranta were on the ice at the team’s practice facility again. Kiviranta is not expected to be ready on Wednesday to play the Anaheim Ducks at Ball Arena, but Bednar said he hopes to have the Finnish Olympian back on Friday against Philadelphia.
Puustinen, 26, has seven goals and 24 points in 66 career NHL games. He hasn’t played in the NHL this year, but does have 26 points in 35 games for Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
