Penguins’ Ilya Solovyov Has Plenty Left to Prove After New Contract

As he sat through meetings with the Colorado Avalanche’s staff on Jan. 20, 2025, Ilya Solovyov wasn’t sure what his future would hold.

The night before, he helped support the Avs’ blue line in a sound 5-2 home victory over the Washington Capitals. However, in his 16th appearance with the team of the campaign, he was held to a lowly 8:02 of ice time while his fellow defensemen were each given 19 minutes or more. It seemed like the writing was on the wall that his time in Denver was coming to a close.

When Solovyov finished meeting with Colorado’s staff the following day, they told him to simply spend the day getting ready for the team’s next game. He didn’t get much of a chance to do so.

“We had an optional (skate) there, so I expected to go out with the goalies, get some shots and practice a little bit,” Solovyov said during a media availability. “Then, the head coach (Jared Bednar) came out and told me the general manager (Chris MacFarland) said not to go out on the ice. About 20 to 25 minutes later (Bednar) called me into his office and told me I’d been traded to Pittsburgh.”

Surrounded By Talent

During his brief stint in Colorado, Solovyov played just three games as a member of the Avalanche’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. The rest of his time in Denver was spent as a member of the Avalanche’s lineup, which gave him valuable reps with some of the NHL’s most talented players at both ends of the ice.

Throughout his 16 appearances in a Colorado uniform, Solovyov was given a revolving door of talent to share the ice with. He occasionally was paired up with star blueliners Brent Burns and Cale Makar, depending on what situation the Avs were in. In front of him, he also developed his game further by playing behind offensive dynamo Nathan MacKinnon. As a Penguin, he knew he’d be given just as much star power to work with the moment he walked into the locker room.

“I already was in the locker room with one of the greatest hockey players (MacKinnon) and here there are true legends (in) (Sidney) Crosby and (Evgeni) Malkin. It’s unbelievable now how life’s going, and I’m just excited to step on the ice with the guys,” Solovyov said during a media availability.

Though Solovyov was already a proven AHL defenseman who could’ve added a lot to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ lineup amid their playoff push, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas opted to move him directly to the NHL. Though his first days as a Penguin were spent as a healthy scratch, Solovyov still made the most of his time with the team by getting to know his new teammates on and off the ice, especially fellow Russian Malkin.

Evgeni Malkin took Ilya Solovyov out for dinner in Vancouver ahead of his first game with the Penguins tonight. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/1CePzF7fS8— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 29, 2026

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Solovyov Quickly Makes an Impact

Starting with his one-assist outing on home ice in the Penguins’ 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 29, Solovyov played 14 games down the stretch for Pittsburgh as it fought to snap its three-year playoff drought. His most productive stretch came between Feb. 3 and March 8, when Solovyov notched an apple in three straight games, largely due to the chemistry formed with partner Ryan Shea.

Solovyov’s play was certainly noticeable, but it still wasn’t enough to earn him a spot in the Penguins’ lineup come Round 1 of the playoffs. As Games 1, 2, and 3 went by, Solovyov watched as his team was silenced in back-to-back home games to open the series and then fell again by a 5-2 margin in Philadelphia. With the season now on the line, Penguins head coach Dan Muse made some key personnel changes ahead of Game 4. For the first time in his career, Solovyov was set to appear in a Stanley Cup playoff game.

“One player doesn’t change anything, obviously. I just can help the guys play their best game, bring some physicality, block a shot, maybe (get) a shot from the blue line as well,” Solovyov told the media ahead of Game 4 against the Flyers.

Paired up with Shea on the third pairing, Solovyov made his limited shifts count as Pittsburgh’s star players around him finally came alive to extend the series. Given between 10 and 12 shifts over his three postseason contests, Solovyov’s physicality helped fend off the Flyers. Pittsburgh fought back into the best-of-seven series with two consecutive wins before it was eliminated with a heartbreaking Game 6 loss. Solovyov was held pointless during the series.

What’s Next for Solovyov?

The 2026-27 season will be a telling one for Solovyov.

This past season, he did enough to earn himself a cheap “prove it” deal from Dubas, worth $850,000 for one year of service. And seeing as he was one of the first of the Penguins’ long list of free agents to be signed, it’s clear that Dubas believes the Russian blueliner has potential.

“I don’t know about that honestly,” Solovyov said when asked about one particular thing he needs to work on to stay in the NHL as long as possible during a media availability. “I think if I’m working on my feet a little bit more, that can give me a lot of minutes of ice time, and that’s how I can be a full-time NHL player.”

Now, Solovyov will look to prove Dubas right by enjoying a much more productive campaign this time around, whether Muse continues to pair him up with Shea or not. If he can’t, Solovyov may find himself getting more time in the AHL than he’d like in the near future.