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Ilya Solovyov’s comments raise pressure on Penguins blue line decisions
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Ilya Solovyov wants Pittsburgh Penguins ice time, and he’s done being a passenger in the NHL.
The quote is polite, but the message is sharp: play me more, or you’re wasting the point of having me.
Solovyov is 25, born in Mogilev, Belarus, and he has already lived the “prove it again” cycle across organizations.
He was a 2020 seventh-round pick, 205th overall, drafted by the Calgary Flames, and nothing has come easy.
Pittsburgh acquired him from Colorado on January 20 for Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 seventh-rounder, with a $775,000 cap hit through 2025-26.
“Maybe they’ll let me play more than I was (with other teams). Maybe I’ll be a good (defenseman) for this team.”
- Ilya Solovyov
- Ilya Solovyov
After the trade, he sat as a healthy scratch, then stepped into the third pair and started stacking useful minutes.
Over his last five games before the break, he posted three assists and averaged 13:50, which is basically him begging for a longer leash.
Ilya Solovyov forces the Pittsburgh Penguins to decide
Pens fans can feel it, this blue line has needed someone hungry and mean around the net for years.
Dan Muse called him “hard to play against,” and that tracks when you watch him box out and lean on guys at the crease.
That’s the fit: keep his reads simple, win the wall, move the puck fast, and let the partner skate.
He’s also sitting at 21 NHL games this season with 1-5-6, so the offense is not imaginary, it’s just been buried by usage.
The Penguins are 29-15-12, and the standings say this is a real season, not a tryout camp.
So here’s the dare inside that “maybe” quote: don’t dress him just to survive shifts, dress him to tilt them.
Next up is Feb. 26, and if Solovyov is in, I want him playing like a guy who’s done asking.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
The tough reason the Penguins’ March schedule has fans worried about the playoff push
The tough reason the Penguins’ March schedule has fans worried about the playoff push
Previously on HockeyUnplugged