The Pittsburgh Penguins have placed defenseman Ilya Solovyov on waivers, a move that reflects the familiar roster churn of an early-season NHL depth chart.
Reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the decision positions the 26-year-old Belarusian either for a trip to the American Hockey League or a potential claim by another club.
Should he clear, the organization expects to assign him to its Wilkes-Barre/Scranton affiliate, freeing a spot on the 23-man roster.
Solovyov’s placement comes days after the Penguins acquired left-shot defenseman Spencer Stastney from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Filip Hallander.
In morning skate line rushes, both Stastney and Solovyov appeared as extra defensemen, signaling that the club views the newly acquired Stastney as its preferred seventh defenseman.
Solovyov, despite surviving training camp and making the opening-night roster, has yet to appear in a regular-season game and has been a healthy scratch through the team’s first four contests.
The waiver process is not new territory for Solovyov.
A seventh-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2020 (205th overall), he spent several seasons developing in the Flames organization before being claimed by the Colorado Avalanche last October after failing to crack their opening roster.
Months later, in January, Colorado traded him to Pittsburgh for Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick. With the Penguins, he delivered what many considered the most productive stretch of his NHL career: five assists in 14 games down the stretch, averaging roughly 14 minutes of ice time.
Across his career, the 6-foot-3 left-shot defenseman has appeared in 45 NHL games, recording one goal and 12 points while bouncing between Calgary, Colorado, and Pittsburgh.
He re-signed with the Penguins in May on a one-year deal carrying an $850,000 cap hit.
That contract also carries a strategic wrinkle: if he plays fewer than 35 games this season, he will qualify as a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer, potentially allowing him to seek a fresh opportunity elsewhere.
For Pittsburgh, the move is primarily about roster mathematics. With other players on injured reserve and the eventual return of additional forwards, clearing Solovyov’s spot provides flexibility without sacrificing organizational depth.
For Solovyov himself, the waiver wire once again determines whether his next games come in the NHL or the AHL.
Either outcome continues a career defined by short stints, opportunity windows, and the constant need to prove his value as a mobile, physical depth defender.
