Penguins claim defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok off waivers
The Pittsburgh Penguins claimed defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok off waivers from the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday.
In 23 games this season, Kolyachonok has scored five points (two goals, three assists) while averaging 12 minutes, 20 seconds of ice time. A left-handed shot, Kolyachonok has opened 11 games this season on the left side and 12 on the right side.
L’ÉGALISATION DE KOLYACHONOK FACE AUX BRUINS ????
— WE ARE HOCKEY. (@WeAreHockeyFR) October 20, 2024
The 23-year-old has been a healthy scratch for the past 15 games and 32 of a possible 55 games this season.
Kolyachonok (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) is in the first year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000, the league minimum. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in 2026.
A native of Belarus, Kolyachonok was a second-round pick (No. 52 overall) of the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NHL Draft but never played for that franchise.
In July 2021, Kolyachonok (prounounced koh-lee-ah-CHOHN-ahk) was traded to the Arizona Coyotes and spent parts of three seasons with that franchise before being part of the transfer of Coyotes players and assets that formed the Utah Hockey Club this past offseason.
This addition comes at the same time former Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi cleared waivers and had his contract mutually terminated. These transactions leave the Penguins with 49 NHL contracts for the ongoing season, one short of the league limit of 50.
According to Puckpedia, the Penguins now have $5,251,987 of salary cap space.
With the NHL about to begin a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, the Penguins are not scheduled to play again until they host the rival Washington Capitals on Feb. 22.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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