The Pittsburgh Penguins are adding some depth to the blue line.
Defenceman Ilya Solovyov is on his way to the Penguins after being acquired in a trade from the Colorado Avalanche for forward Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick, the team announced Tuesday.
Solovyov has been a steady contributor on the Avalanche blue line this season, tallying one goal and two assists in 16 games while playing an average of 11:34 of ice time per night.
The 25-year-old has split time between the AHL and NHL clubs, with his most recent call-up to the Avalanche coming in early January in place of the injured Devon Toews.
Selected by the Calgary Flames 205th overall in Round 7 of the 2020 NHL Draft, the Belarusian defenceman has one goal and six assists over 31 career NHL games.
Puustinen, meanwhile, has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 35 games, the right winger has seven goals and 19 assists.
Since being selected 203rd overall by the Penguins in 2019, the Finn has seven goals and 17 assists in 66 NHL outings.
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