Vladislav Kolyachonok earns promotion to Penguins' top defense pair

Vladislav Kolyachonok was inches away probably centimeters, actually from scoring his first goal as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

Late in the second period against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Penguins established some extended offensive zone time ahead of intermission, and Kolyachonok fired a close-range wrister on Ilya Samsonov in front of the crease.

With 18 seconds left on the clock, Kolyachonoks shot hit the crossbar, failing to find the back of the net.

It was a great rush, the 23-year-old blueliner said of the sequence after the Penguins 3-2 overtime win.

(Evgeni Malkin) found me in the middle of the lane, I kicked it out to (Kevin Hayes), (Hayes) gave it to (Malkin), just trying to split their (defense) down the middle.

I stayed there and no one (defended) me.

Unfortunately, (the shot) hit inside the bar.

Kolyachonok will have to wait for goal No.

1 with the Penguins, who scooped him off waivers from Utah Hockey Club on Feb.

9.

But for now, he can savor a new career high in time on ice (21 minutes, 44 seconds), a product of a more prominent deployment against Vegas, as coach Mike Sullivan slotted him next to Kris Letang to form the Penguins top defensive pairing.

Granted, that was borne partially from Tuesdays revelation that fellow defenseman Ryan Shea was out week-to-week with an injury, with Kolyachonok taking Sheas place of late beside Letang.

For the left-shooting Kolyachonok, Tuesday eclipsed the most NHL game action hed seen dating to April of 2022 when he was a rookie with the Arizona Coyotes.

Prior to being acquired by the Penguins on the waiver wire, Kolyachonok had appeared in 23 games for Utah this season, scoring two goals with three assists and averaging 12:20 per game while navigating lengthy stretches as a healthy scratch.

Originally a second-round (No.

52 overall) pick by the Florida Panthers in 2019, Kolyachonok had played in 62 career NHL games over parts of four prior seasons.

But fast forward to now, as Kolyachonok continues to audition for a nightly role in the Penguins lineup, Sullivan and his staff are intrigued.

I think hes competing hard, Sullivan said.

Were trying to get him to simplify his game, defend well.

The one thing that we really like about him is hes a real good skater, hes strong on pucks, his gaps are really good, he can close on people laterally really well and hes physical.

Hes not shy, and hes willing to get into bodies.

Thats just been our observation in the short time weve coached him.

Some patience on the part of Kolyachonok was required upon joining the Penguins, as about three weeks passed between getting picked up off waivers and suiting up for the first time March 4.

Over that span, Sullivan said on several occasions that he wanted to get a better feel for Kolyachonoks overall game.

Meanwhile, Kolyachonok was determined to take his practice reps seriously, acclimating himself to the Penguins style of play.

You always want to play, but no matter what, you always have to be your best version, either practicing or playing, he said.

I was getting ready for my chance.

I was learning the structure watching teams we play.

Its a great foundation to play better.

Before Tuesday, Kolyachonoks deployment with the Penguins through three games had been solely on the clubs third defensive pairing.

While his place next to Letang, let alone a spot in the lineup, wont be guaranteed for Kolyachonok moving forward, hell still hope to soak up as much as possible from the Penguins franchise pillar, a veteran of 1,147 NHL games.

Feel good playing with him, Kolyachonok said.

Hes a great teammate, he helps me there and hes a great leader, great person.

I think were getting on the same page.

From the vantage point of Penguins management, Kolyachonok, who is signed to a two-way deal through 2025-26 at $775,000 annually, represents a low-cost asset acquired for free with plenty of upside, should he reach a fuller potential as compared to his Arizona and Utah days.

Theres areas of his game obviously where we think he can improve and get better just his decisions on when he joins the rush (and) his decisions when he activates off the offensive blue line, Sullivan said.

I thought his puck decisions (Tuesday) were pretty calculated.

Hes trying to simplify the game, and were encouraging him to simplify the game with respect to his puck possession.

But obviously, hes a young player and were excited about potentially where his game might go..

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