Ahead of their game tonight in Minnesota, the Colorado Avalanche announced that Ilya Solovyov’s AHL conditioning loan has been terminated, and he will return to the team as their seventh defenseman.
Solovyov, claimed off waivers from Calgary in October, was loaned on December 12, and returns well within the two-week threshold to avoid waivers and remain on the active roster. While he is often a healthy scratch for the Avalanche (including tonight), at just 25 years old there is still untapped potential as a solid bottom pairing blueliner with size (6’3”). Therefore, getting him some game action this month was of interest.
Solovyov did not record any points in three games with the Colorado Eagles, but he gave the group a nice boost, as they are on a hot streak and lead their division with a 19-6-1 record. Now back on the Avs, he is also scoreless at the highest level, in 9 games so far. Such is production which will never raise many eyebrows, but the lefty had 28 points in the AHL last season in the Calgary organization. Having been selected in the seventh round of the 2020 draft by the Flames, it has been a solid North American career, culminating in 24 NHL contests to date.
As is expected for most teams in a window such as Colorado’s, the team’s pool is very thin. Mikhail Gulyayev and Sean Behrens are intriguing defense prospects, but as both are still a ways away from NHL contribution, taking a flyer on Solovyov was worthwhile. With just a $775k cap hit at the NHL level, and pending UFA status this summer, he will look to make an impression and solidify his role as a depth defender on the league’s best team going into the future.