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Penguins' Defenseman Emerging as Possible High-Upside Player
Photo credit: Edit from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A young defenseman who hasn't gotten much praise is Vladislav Kolyachonok, as he appears to have a lot of upside for the Penguins' blue line down the road.
Kyle Dubas was relatively quiet on the 2024-25 waiver wire, adding just one player: defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok.
A 2019 second-round pick of the Florida Panthers, Kolyachonok has shown flashes of promise but has not yet proven to be an NHL regular.
After coming over in a trade from the defunct Arizona Coyotes, he began the year on Utah's third pairing, recording four points in 12 games. But inconsistency soon followed.
He was a healthy scratch for 15 of the next 16 games, then he played 10 of 12 during December and early January, before sitting out the next 16 consecutive games.
Utah waived him on Feb. 8, intending to send him to the AHL, but Pittsburgh scooped him up. Kolyachonok made his Penguins debut on March 4 after spending the first six games in the press box.
Kolyachonok saw valuable power-play minutes with Kris Letang
He began on the third pair but saw an occasional stint on the power play with Kris Letang. He recorded two assists in 11 games before serving as a healthy scratch again.
He played the season's final game, a 5-2 win over Washington, but missed 45 games overall between Utah and Pittsburgh.
Looking forward, Dubas has prioritized shoring up the left side of Pittsburgh's defense. Kolyachonok, who turns 24 on Monday, may fit that equation.
Agile enough to play either side, he played more games on the right, in fact, and he possesses the skill set to be a modern, puck-skating defenseman, most likely in a third-pairing role.
But to earn an NHL regular spot, consistency and maturation are still essential.
| POLL | ||
MAI 23 | 84 ANSWERS Penguins' Defenseman Emerging as Possible High-Upside Player Will Vladislav Kolyachonok become one of the Penguins' top defensemen in the future? | ||
| Yes | 57 | 67.9 % |
| No | 27 | 32.1 % |
| List of polls | ||