Penguins Shock Fans by Swapping Rising Star Puustinen for Mysterious Prospect Solovyov—What’s Behind the Move?

The Penguins shook things up this week, swapping out forward Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh round draft pick to the Colorado Avalanche, in return snagging defenseman Ilya Solovyov. Puustinen’s been simmering in the Pens’ system since 2021-22, steadily climbing WBS’s all-time scoring charts before hitting a bit of a plateau recently. At 26, this former late-round pick carved out some NHL appearances, but lately has settled more into a depth role. On the flip side, Solovyov’s a towering left-shot defender, a 6’3” presence who’s danced between AHL consistency and short stints with Colorado’s big club—showing flashes of offensive upside despite limited ice time. Pittsburgh’s blueline has been a revolving door this season—over a dozen defensemen seen action, yet stability remains elusive. With injuries, scratches, and players bouncing back and forth, it’s anyone’s guess where Solovyov will fit in. But, if history’s any hint, the Pens aren’t shy about rolling the dice to uncover that hidden gem. Time will tell if this move is just a shuffle or a piece of something bigger. LEARN MORE

The Penguins announced a trade on Tuesday, sending forward Valtteri Puustinen and a seventh round pick to Colorado in exchange for defenseman Ilya Solovyov.

Puustinen, as mentioned in the last Wilkes Weekly, was climbing the ranks of the all-time WBS scoring list but will see his progress stopped with 101 career AHL points with the Penguins. The 26-year old former seventh round pick in 2019 has been a part of the Pens’ organization professionally since the start of the 2021-22 season, scoring 24 points in 66 career NHL games with Pittsburgh. His place in the organization peaked with 20 points in 52 games during the 2023-24 season before sliding into a role more of organizational depth over the last two seasons.

Advertisement

Pittsburgh picks up 6’3”, 208 pound left handed defenseman Solovyov. Similar to Puustinen, Solovyov has been playing mostly in the AHL since the start of the 2021-22 season, though he has played 16 NHL games with the Avalanche this season scoring three points (1G+2A) in a limited role that saw him average 11:13 of ice-time per game. Solovyov had been something of a regular for the Avs, playing seven games since January 4th and even stringing together a three-game point streak from 1/6 – 1/10. Solovyov played for the Avs just last night in their win over the Capitals, although for only 8:34.

The Penguins, who have dressed 12 different defensemen through 48 games, are still seeking answers on their bottom part of their blueline in what’s been a season-long search. Jack St. Ivany was made a healthy scratch yesterday, Ryan Graves has bounced between the NHL and AHL on another erstwhile season, Harrison Brunicke has been assigned back to junior and Caleb Jones recently suffered an injury in his AHL rehab stint coming back from a lengthy injury.

It remains unclear where Solovyov fits into that mix, especially since the team has some decent LHD options in Brett Kulak, Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea. Pittsburgh has never been shy about shuttling bodies in and out to see what may happen, Solovyov could be the next short-term opportunity to see what ability he has coming off his recent time in Colorado.