The Colorado Avalanche made a move on the waiver wire on Friday. They picked up a defenseman that they so desperately needed. The Avalanche grabbed Ilya Solovyov off the waiver wire from the Calgary Flames. Solovyov was originally the 205th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and drafted by the Flames. He made his North American debut in the AHL with the Stockton Heat on October 30, 2021, against the Colorado Eagles.

Solovyov is from Belarus and represented his country frequently. The 6-foot-3, 209-pound defenseman is a left-shooting defenseman, which is a rare commodity in the Avalanche organization at the moment. Four of the seven defensemen for the Avalanche are right-handed. This forced Sam Malinski to play on his “off hand,” and he struggled immensely. Therefore, Malinski’s difficult time in the last two preseason games could be connected to the move.

Injuries to the Colorado Eagles may have also forced this move. Jacob MacDonald (hip), Hank Kempf (upper-body), and Connor Kelley (knee) have all come out of the lineup in recent weeks.

Solovyov will bring a big, strong physical game to Colorado. Whether it will be the Avalanche or the Eagles. He can dominate his opponents and win the corner battles for his team. Solovyov can also defend his zone and play long shifts, and the team will need that without MacDonald. He can help with breakouts and shows that he has excellent skating ability. He is a defensive-minded player who will shut the opponents on the penalty kill and could have some NHL potential.

The performance Sam Malinski, and injuries forced the move. There was no way that Brent Burns would switch to “offhand” at his age, so a younger player had to do it. This may force another move by the Avalanche later down the road when Samuel Girard is healthy himself. We could see a trade of Malinski or Keaton Middleton sent down to the Eagles with Solovyov on a one-way deal. Either way, this could create a brand new storyline to watch for the beginning of the season.