Penguins' latest trade with Colorado could be a benchmark for the Canadiens

Pittsburgh has just made a move, and the return is surprising.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired defenseman Ilya Solovyov from the Colorado Avalanche, in exchange for Valtteri Puustinen and a 2026 7th-round pick.

This type of trade is a concrete benchmark for everyone, including the Montreal Canadiens.

Solovyov is 25 years old, shoots left, and stands 6-foot-3, 208 pounds.

This season, he recorded 3 points in 16 NHL games with the Avalanche, in addition to playing 3 games in the AHL with the Eagles.

Solovyov's path is filled with numbers that speak for themselves. In the AHL, he has 69 points in 232 games since 2021-22, and before that, he registered 9 points in 41 games in the KHL.

Even in junior, he produced 40 points in 53 games in the OHL. He was also drafted in the 7th round, 205th overall, in 2020.

On the other side, Puustinen is not an unknown name. In 2023-24, he put up 20 points in 52 NHL games with Pittsburgh, and he too was a 7th-round pick, 203rd overall, in 2019.

A small detail that stands out: he is 5-foot-9 and 183 pounds.

For the Canadiens, this is not an invitation to copy the trade, but it is a good representation of the market for a player like Sean Farrell or Joshua Roy, for example.

A depth defenseman, drafted late, can still command a forward who has already produced 20 points in the NHL, plus a 7th-round pick.

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